Department for Transport

Railways: Public Consultation

Kevin Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what mandatory requirements his Department places on train operating companies to conduct public consultations on reductions to services.

Paul Maynard: The Franchise Agreement specifies the minimum requirements for train operators to conduct public consultations on significant alterations to train services (which can be additions or reductions). These are usually aligned to timetable change dates in May and December each year and are associated with major changes to the Timetable, with length of consultation related to the nature of the complexity of any proposed changes. Major proposed changes to the permanent train service specification (and associated timetable) require longer periods for consultation with stakeholders (usually at least 12 weeks) and must include bodies statutorily defined within the Railways Act 2005, such as Transport Focus. Temporary, short-term changes to the timetable, due to restrictions of use imposed by the need of Network Rail to undertake engineering work (planned and unplanned) to the rail network, are not subject to consultation requirements. However, the Franchise Agreement specifies requirements upon train operating companies to advise passengers of amended timetable information well in advance to enable them to plan their journeys accordingly.

Cross Country Rail Franchise

Kevin Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether officials of his Department are in negotiations with Arriva-CrossCountry Trains on renewing that company's franchise on the Manchester to Birmingham to Devon route.

Paul Maynard: As the CrossCountry franchise has recently been awarded, officials are not in negotiation with CrossCountry about renewing the franchise for the Manchester to Birmingham to Devon route.

Cross Country Rail Franchise

Kevin Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when the Arriva-CrossCountry Trains franchise agreement for the Manchester to Birmingham to Devon route ends.

Paul Maynard: The CrossCountry Direct Award commenced on 16 October 2016 and expires on 13 October 2019. The Manchester to Birmingham to Devon route would then be considered as part of the next franchise.

Aviation: Tickets

Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has considered taking steps to prevent the overselling of seats on commercial flights.

Mr John Hayes: Overbooking is a widespread commercial practice amongst airlines to reduce the number of empty seats, given the likelihood that a proportion of passengers will not check in. By reducing the number of empty seats, overbooking keeps fares lower than they would otherwise be. However, the Government understands the frustration of passengers who are being denied boarding due to overbooking. Regulation (EC) 261/2004, with its passenger compensation levels set at levels penalising the industry, was introduced to discourage industry practices that were detrimental to the passenger. The Regulation requires air carriers to provide overbooked passengers prescribed minimum levels of financial compensation, which in particular on short-haul flights may exceed the flight ticket price. Additionally the passengers have a choice between re-routing and reimbursement. The Government considers the consumer protection regime as sufficient deterrent to overbooking and has not considered further legislation.

Southern

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will introduce a formula to reduce rail ticket prices across the strike-affected southern region until normal service is resumed.

Paul Maynard: The government has announced a multi-million pound compensation payment for at least 84,000 Southern passengers, to recognise the particular hardship of those who have suffered long delays, cancellations and disruption in recent months. Those who qualify will receive a payment equal to one month’s travel.This payment is in addition to the compensation scheme ‘Delay Repay 15’, under which GTR passengers will be able to claim back 25% of the cost of the single fare for delays between 15 and 29 minutes, with passengers able to apply for compensation through the train operating company. The government has also committed to capping regulated rail fare increases at RPI+0% for the term of this Parliament from 2016 to 2020. This extends the cap on rail fares put in place for 2014 and 2015. This will benefit over a quarter of a million annual season ticket holders, providing an average saving to season ticket holders of £425 in the five years to 2020.

Volkswagen

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 12 December 2016 to Question 56574, on Volkswagen, whether that payment will be made by 25 December 2016.

Mr John Hayes: The Department has provided Volkswagen with the account details to make this payment and I expect to receive it very shortly.

Southern

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with coach and bus companies on provision of alternative routes for commuters living in Worthing during industrial action on the Southern rail line.

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with coach and bus companies on mitigating the effects of industrial action on the Southern rail line.

Andrew Jones: The coach market in the UK is deregulated, as is the bus market in GB outside London. It is for individual bus and coach companies to decide how to respond to the action by Southern Rail. However, my officials are closely liaising with the Confederation of Passenger Transport, the bus and coach trade body, to determine how bus and coach operators can best assist with providing alternative transport.

Ministry of Defence

RFA Tiderace

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) staff of his Department and (b) members of the UK armed forces were in attendance at the naming ceremony for RFA Tiderace at DSME Shipyard in Okpo, South Korea, on 1 December 2016.

Harriett Baldwin: A total of 25 members of the UK Armed Forces and 10 Ministry of Defence civilian staff attended the naming ceremony for RFA TIDERACE.

Type 45 Destroyers

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of refitting the six Type 45 destroyers with intercoolers capable of operating in warm climates.

Harriett Baldwin: We announced in the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015 that we would improve the availability of our Type 45 Destroyers. As part of the Power Improvement Project for Type 45, the Ministry of Defence is planning to improve system resilience by adding upgraded diesel generators to provide further electrical generation capacity.For current cost estimates, I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave on 16 September 2016 (to Question 46180) to the hon. Member for Strangford (Mr Shannon).



46180 - WQnA extract on Type 45 Destroyers
(Word Document, 14.16 KB)

Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the most recent timetable is for the weapons testing programme for the F35B Joint Strike Fighter with the (a) Raytheon Paveway IV, (b) MBDA ASRAAM and (c) MBDA AMRAAM; and if he will estimate the costs of integrating each of those systems.

Harriett Baldwin: The testing and integration programme for all three weapons remains on track to be delivered in line with the UK F-35B Lightning initial operating capability date of December 2018. The UK has a through-life cost for the F-35, which includes weapons integration testing; this figure cannot be broken out to provide a figure for the weapons integration element. Overall, the UK F-35 programme remains within its cost approval.

Gulf States

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how the £3 billion in defence expenditure in the Gulf Region announced by the Prime Minister during her visit to Bahrain in December 2016 will be allocated.

Harriett Baldwin: Our Defence activity in the Gulf directly supports the UK's national security objectives. Our projected spending will be allocated to, amongst other things: our persistent operational presence; a permanent footprint of bases and support facilities across the region; and a significant programme of exercises, training and capacity-building.

HMS Queen Elizabeth

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many members of the United States Marine Corps are seconded to HMS Queen Elizabeth.

Harriett Baldwin: There are no members of the United States Marine Corps seconded to HMS QUEEN ELIZABETH. HMS QUEEN ELIZABETH now has the largest ship's company in the Royal Navy under the command of Captain Jerry Kyd, and this will continue to grow against a planned profile until summer 2017 as her capability develops.

Ballistic Missile Defence: Warships

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which ballistic missile defence systems protect the UK; and whether the Government has considered the potential merits of the use of ship-based ballistic missile defence systems.

Harriett Baldwin: The ultimate guarantee of our security is provided by our independent nuclear deterrent. In addition, the NATO Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) network protects the UK and, as set out in the 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR), we will invest in a ground-based BMD radar which will enhance this system. We are investigating the potential of the Royal Navy's Type 45 Destroyer to operate in a BMD role, as also set out in the SDSR.

Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 17 October 2016 to Question 47716, whether his Department plans that no UK F35B Joint Strike Fighter aircraft will have undertaken testing for shipborne rolling vertical landing before tests begin aboard HMS Queen Elizabeth in 2018.

Harriett Baldwin: The shipborne rolling vertical landing (SRVL) manoeuvre is currently being trialled in an on-going programme of simulation testing. This testing will continue until the UK's first of class flying trials begin aboard HMS Queen Elizabeth, when SRVL will be trialled using UK F-35B aircraft.

Armed Forces Covenant

Mrs Anne-Marie Trevelyan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when his Department plans to publish its annual report on the Armed Forces Covenant.

Mark Lancaster: The Ministry of Defence published the 2016 Armed Forces Covenant Annual Report today. This will help demonstrate that while more remains to be done this Nation is honouring its pledge to the Armed Forces Community past and present; this includes tangible progress made and support offered by Departments of State, Local Authorities, the Devolved Administrations, Businesses, Charities and society as a whole.

Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many F35 Lightning II fighters have been purchased to date; and how many such fighters his Department plans to purchase in each year until 2023.

Harriett Baldwin: The UK has taken delivery of seven F-35B aircraft and there are a further seven on order. The Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015 set out the UK's intent to have two front line operations F-35 squadrons by the end of 2023 and plan to buy 138 aircraft over the life of the programme. The year by year buy profile is not published, as it can undermine our commercial position during the aircraft procurement process.

Armed Forces: Railways

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many military personnel who are able to drive (a) trains, (b) coaches and (c) buses could potentially be deployed in the event of industrial action on the rail network.

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many military personnel are trained to drive (a) buses, (b) trains and (c) coaches.

Mike Penning: Defence has over 4,000 military personnel that have had some training in driving coaches and/or buses although driving is not necessarily their primary role. Of which, approximately 250 military personnel have been trained in driving coaches/buses in the last 12 months. Defence has no military personnel trained to drive a train.Military operations in the UK are placed under the overarching title of Military Aid to the Civil Authorities (MACA), which is only in support of, and at the request of, the lead Government Department. Defence continues to work closely with the Department for Transport (and other Government Departments) to determine areas where military support within the UK is necessary, achievable, and permitted.

Capita

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which contracts his Department has awarded to Capita in the last five years.

Harriett Baldwin: Details of contracts that the Ministry of Defence (MOD) has awarded to Capita in the last five years are in the table below. This information includes MOD call-offs from wider Government framework agreements, such as those for the provision of interim personnel and training, but excludes contracts awarded by MOD Trading Funds and miscellaneous payments. I am withholding the details of two contracts as disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces. Contract NumberContract TitleHQLF2/1739RECRUITING PARTNERING CONTRACTCTLBC/1992EXTERNAL STRATEGIC SUPPORT FOR SUBMARINE ENTERPRISE PROCUREMENT PROGRAMMECROC002760PROJECT MANAGEMENT SERVICES FOR RITC PROJECTDCNS/151THEATRE NETWORK AND SERVICE MANAGEMENT CAPABILITY MANAGED SERVICEHOCS/CM7/00016MOD ACCESS TO THE GOVERNMENT PROCUREMENT SERVICE FRAMEWORK AGREEMENT FOR THE PROVISION OF TEMPORARY EMPLOYEES - INTERIM PROFESSIONALSJFC/CM10/00016DELIVER MILITARY ENGLISH LANGUAGE TRAINING TO UK SPONSORED INTERNATIONAL MILITARY PERSONNEL AND CIVILIAN OFFICIALSJFC/CM10/00015DELIVERY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGE COURSES FOR DEFENCE CENTRE FOR LANGUAGES AND CULTUREDIOSBM0001STRATEGIC BUSINESS PARTNER FOR DEFENCE INFRASTRUCTURE ORGANISTIONHOCSCM8/00013THE PROCUREMENT OF EXTERNAL EXECUTIVE SEARCH SUPPORT TO ASSIST THE SINGLE SOURCE REGULATIONS OFFICE CHAIR (SSRO) WITH THE RECRUITMENT OF THE SSROJFC/CM10/00029ADVANCED COMMAND AND STAFF COURSE MODULE DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENTJFC/CM10/00021ONLINE LANGUAGE SUPPORT TOOLHOCS2A/00011THE PROVISION OF A DEFENCE INFORMATION INFRASTRUCTURE MARITIME DEPLOYED INSTRUCTOR TRAINING COURSEHOCS2A/00019SUCCESSOR TRAINING RESOURCE ESTIMATE UPDATEHOCS2A/00010WINDOWS SERVER 2012 TRAINING FOR DEFENCE SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION SERVICESHOCS2A/00002PROVISION OF ARMED FORCES SUBSTANCE MISUSE EDUCATION PROGRAMMEJFC9A/00002CHARTERED INSTITUTE OF PROCUREMENT AND SUPPLY TRAINING NEEDS ANALYSISPCAT18/15THE PROVISION OF AN ANALYTICAL REPORT AND TO DELIVER BLENDED LEARNING SERVICES IN SUPPORT OF BLENDED LEARNING INITIATIVE.ACT/04406SCOPING STUDY TO DEVELOP ELEARNING PACKAGE FOR DEFENCE TRAINING, RAF ST MAWGANHOCS2A/00013THE PROVISION OF PARAMEDIC TRAINING FOR RAF HIGH WYCOMBEJFC9A/00005DEFENCE LEARNING PORTAL COURSEWARE ANALYSIS AND REMEDYFLEET/00424USE AN ENABLING FRAMEWORK TO INITIATE CREATE AND DEVELOP A REVISED APPROACH TO ENGINEER OFFICER TRAININGFLEET/00430PROVISION OF AN 11 WEEK CARPENTRY TRAINING COURSE FOR 7 PERSONNELDES/HR/FM/BRECRUITMENT SUPPORTJFC9A/00007ROYAL COLLEGE OF DEFENCE STUDIES CONTRACTED SENIOR DIRECTING STAFFMATSTRAT/00004RECRUITMENT SUPPORTJFC7B/00002ENABLING CONTRACT FOR THE PROVISON OF MEDICAL EXAMINATIONS FOR THE ARMED FORCES CAREERS OFFICEARMYHQ4/00049DEFENCE SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION SYSTEMS (CISM) - ROYAL SIGNALS CISM TRAINING REVIEWRM1568/DCNS229INFORMATION APPRENTICESHIP SCHEMEFLEET/00425TRAINING NEEDS ANALYSISJFC9B/00001DEFENCE LEARNING PORTAL COURSEWARE CONTINUATION UPDATEPCAT015/16HEALTH AND SAFETY ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION & SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPEMENT SERVICES & TRAINING.HOCS2A/00016PROVISION OF A TRAINING NEEDS ANALYSIS INTO THE MAINTAINER TRAINING REQUIREMENTS FOR THE QUEEN ELIZABETH CLASS INTEGRATED NAVIGATION AND BRIDGE SYSTEMHOCS2B/00005DESIGN AND PROVISION OF COMMERCIAL GRADUATE SCHEME ASSESSMENT CENTRESPCAT010/16REVIEW OF ROYAL LOGISTIC CORPS OFFICER TRAININGPCAT 005/16CYBER PROTECTION TEAM TRAININGTSSP/074DEVELOPMENT OF TRAINING NEEDS ANALYSIS FOR JOINT FIRES SYNTHETIC TRAININGJFC7A/00014ANALYSIS AND DETAILED DESIGN OF A JOINT MEDICAL EMPLOYMENT STANDARD TRAINING PACKAGEFLEET/00533PROVISION OF 1 1-WEEK CARPENTRY COURSE FOR SIX STUDENTSJFC9/00001PROVISION OF MOD LANGUAGE EXAM BOARD CONTRACTPCAT012/16PROVISION OF FORENSIC MEDICAL EXAMINER TRAININGFLEET/00521THE PROVISION OF LECTURES AND PRESENTATIONS ON RESETTLEMENT INCLUDING EMPLOYMENT AND FINANCIAL AWARENESS TO SERVICE PERSONNEL.JFC6C/00005PROVISION OF SIMULATED MEDIA.STECHCOM/110DELIVERY AND RE-DESIGN OF OPEN SOURCE INTELLIGENCE PRACTITIONER TRAININGPCAT013/16PROVISION OF SCALE AND READINESS REVIEWPCAT009/16PROVISION OF EVENT TRAININGPCAT016/16AMMUNITION TECHNICAL OFFICERS COURSE REDESIGN SUPPORTFLEET/00536PROVISION OF BA (HONOURS) IN SOCIAL WORK (ENGLAND) LEVEL 3 WITH THE OPEN UNIVERSITYFLEET/00535PROVISION OF BA (HONOURS) IN SOCIAL WORK (ENGLAND) STAGE 2 AND 3 WITH THE OPEN UNIVERSITYFLEET/00537TO PROVIDE ACCREDITATION FOR A BACHELOR OF MUSIC (HONS) OR MASTERS LEVEL DEGREECB/JFC3/017PROVISION OF COUNTER INTELLIGENCE AND SECURITY INSTRUCTORS. Since January 2011, central Government Departments have been required to publish information about the contracts they award on Contracts Finder:https://www.gov.uk/contracts-finder. In addition, Departments publish details of spend in excess of £25,000 on gov.uk:www.gov.uk/government/publications/mod-finance-transparency-dataset

Defence: Procurement

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what change there has been in the cost to his Department of defence contracts since 23 June 2016 due to the reduction in the value of the pound.

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what change there has been in the cost to his Department of defence imports since 23 June 2016 due to the reduction in the value of the pound.

Harriett Baldwin: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 17 October 2016 to Question 48369 to the hon. Member for Dunfermline and West Fife (Mr Chapman).



48369 - WQnA extract on MOD Procurement
(Word Document, 14.61 KB)

Invicta Park Barracks

Mrs Helen Grant: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what consultation his Department undertook prior to the decision to close Invicta Park Barracks in Maidstone.

Mrs Helen Grant: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his Oral Statement of 7 November 2016, Official Report, column 1288, on the Defence Estate, what the content was of the military advice that his Department received on its proposal to close Invicta Park Barracks in Maidstone.

Mark Lancaster: The "A Better Defence Estate" strategy was developed with Military advice from the Front Line Commands and was agreed by the single Service Chiefs and the Defence Board. Civilian HR representatives were also involved regarding impact for civilian staff. Initial discussions on the announcement were also held with Local Authorities immediately following the announcement and this will be followed up with more detailed discussions particularly concerning local planning issues.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Artificial Intelligence

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make an assessment of the extent to which the recommendations of the report by the Executive Office of the President's National Science and Technology Council Committee on Technology, entitled Preparing for the future of artificial intelligence, published in October 2016, apply to the UK.

Joseph Johnson: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Carbon Sequestration

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what representations he has received on the Government's decision to cancel the carbon capture and storage competition.

Jesse Norman: The Department has received a number of representations on the future of carbon capture and storage (CCS). This includes carefully considering the findings and recommendations made in the report ‘Lowest Cost Decarbonisation for the UK: the critical role of carbon capture and storage’, published in September 2016 by the Parliamentary Advisory Group on CCS, chaired by the noble Lord, Lord Oxburgh.We are considering the options for CCS in the UK, and will set out our approach in due course.

Coal Fired Power Stations

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent representations he has received on the potential removal of coal-powered electricity generation from the UK's energy mix.

Jesse Norman: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Energy Supply

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate he has made of the public investment needed to maintain the UK's energy capacity in the next 20 years.

Jesse Norman: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Green Investment Bank

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he has taken to advance the green economy since his Department was established.

Mr Nick Hurd: The creation of the new department reflects the Government’s vision to put action on climate change and a low carbon economy at the centre of Britain’s economic future.Action by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State includes reaffirming the Government’s commitment to spend £730m of annual support on renewable electricity projects over this parliament; setting out details for the next Contracts for Difference auction where companies will compete for the first £290m worth of contracts for renewable electricity projects; proceeding with Hinkley Point C which will create 26,000 jobs; and consulting on how to close unabated coal-fired power stations.At the Autumn Statement the Government announced £4.7 billion investment to enhance the UK’s position as a world leader in science and innovation, laying the foundation for delivering an ambitious Industrial Strategy and a low carbon economy.Looking ahead to next year, following the setting of the Fifth Carbon Budget in July 2016, the department will publish the Government’s emissions reduction plan which will set out how we will reduce emissions through the 2020s.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Staff

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether it is his Department's policy to increase the number of policy-making civil servants based outside London.

Margot James: Following the Machinery of Government changes, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy is currently considering how best to align the reform agendas of its two predecessor Departments. This will include considering what the right footprint for the Department should be, in order to best deliver its objectives.

Coal Gasification

Margaret Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what his Department's policy is on underground coal gasification.

Jesse Norman: The Department commissioned a report from Atkins into the greenhouse gas implications of underground coal gasification to inform Government policy about its development in the UK; this report was peer reviewed by academics and industry representatives.The report finds that emissions from underground coal gasification would be too high to be consistent with our commitment to a low-carbon future, and would not accord with our recent ratification of the Paris Agreement. For these reasons, we are not minded to support the development of this technology in the UK.The Atkins report can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/underground-coal-gasification-evidence-statement-of-global-warming-potential

Scientific Advisers

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions he has had with the European Commission on appointing a UK scientist to the Scientific Advice Mechanism High Level Group; and whether he plans to seek such an appointment before the UK leaves the EU.

Joseph Johnson: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Staff

Clive Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what proportion of (a) the Senior Civil Service and (b) policy-making civil servants in his Department are based in London.

Margot James: The proportion of (a) the Senior Civil Service and (b) policy-making civil servants working for the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and based in London is shown in the table below. Senior Civil servants based in London96%Civil servants based in London engaged in policy making91%

Energy: Industry

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to (a) expedite the Government's application to the European Commission to exempt energy-intensive industries from the indirect costs of the Renewables Obligation and small-scale Feed-in Tariffs and (b) ensure that legislation on that exemption is in place before financial year 2017-18.

Jesse Norman: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Energy: Industry

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to secure contingency funding for the continuation of compensation for the indirect costs of the Renewables Obligation and small-scale Feed-in Tariffs for (a) the steel industry and (b) other energy-intensive industries beyond April 2017.

Jesse Norman: We aim to introduce an exemption for Energy Intensive Industries from the indirect costs of the Renewables Obligation and small-scale Feed-in Tariffs from 1 April 2017. It is not currently necessary to allocate contingency funding for the continuation of compensation beyond April 2017.

Housing: Energy

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when he plans to outline his Department's strategy for promoting the use of sustainable and efficient energy measures in residential homes.

Jesse Norman: The Government has taken a number of measures to promote the use of sustainable and efficient energy measures in residential buildings.On 8 December we published a consultation on the Future of Heat in domestic buildings. This consultation seeks views on a range of options that can keep heating bills as low as possible, ensure the UK has a secure and resilient energy system and reduce carbon emissions cost-effectively at home. On 14th December, we also published the response to our consultation on reforms to the Renewable Heat Incentive. The reforms will focus on long-term decarbonisation, promote technologies with a credible role to play in that transition and offer better value for money for taxpayers.The Government has already introduced a number of provisions to drive energy efficiency improvements in both domestic and non-domestic privately rented property through the Energy Efficiency (Private Rented Property) (England and Wales) Regulations 2015. Landlords will be required by law to have improved the energy efficiency rating of the properties they let to an Energy Performance Certificate rating of at least an E from April 2018.   The Energy Company Obligation (ECO), and its successor, will continue to deliver energy efficiency improvements out to 2022.   We also commissioned an independent review into consumer advice, protection, standards and enforcement for home energy efficiency and renewable energy measures which will be published imminently.

Foreign Companies: Complaints

Clive Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many complaints have been received on breaches of the Overseas Companies Regulations 2009 by overseas companies; and how many such complaints resulted in (a) compliance or (b) prosecution.

Margot James: Companies House received the following number of complaints on breaches of the Overseas Companies Regulations 2009 by overseas companies. YearNumber of Complaints2010 (from 1 October)220114201214201336201426201542016 (to date)11Total97 Two of the complaints resulted in compliance by the company and one case resulted in prosecution. In the other cases it was found that there was insufficient evidence for prosecution action.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Work Experience

Clive Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many interns are currently working in his Department; at what rate those interns are paid; and what the maximum length of an internship is.

Margot James: There are currently 32 interns working in the Department. They are paid at the pay band minima for the grade they are recruited into, which is comparable to the pay received by permanent employees. The total duration of an internship must be less than 2 years.

Climate Change

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what preparations his Department is making for the coordination with EU member states of efforts to tackle climate change after the UK leaves the EU.

Mr Nick Hurd: The relationship between the UK and our EU partners after we exit the EU will be the subject of negotiations that will start after we trigger Article 50, which my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister has said will be no later than the end of March next year. This will include, amongst others, our future relationship with the EU on climate change.UK policy on climate change has not changed following Brexit and the UK remains committed to international efforts to tackle climate change. Domestically, we are committed to delivering dependable, secure and low-carbon energy. Our Emissions Reduction Plan will set out how we will reduce emissions over the 2020s and will be produced in tandem with our Industrial Strategy. While we remain in the EU we will continue to engage constructively on new and existing EU legislation and regulation in this area.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Middle East: Religious Freedom

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the extent of persecution and displacement of religious minorities in (a) Syria and (b) Iraq; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We remain very concerned about appalling crimes being committed against religious minorities, as well as the majority Muslim population in Iraq and Syria. Minorities have suffered at the hands of Daesh in both Syria and Iraq. In Syria they have also suffered at the hands of the Asad regime, whose war against the Syrian people has killed over 400,000 Syrians. We are committed to defeating Daesh and bringing them to justice. We continue to work towards a sustainable political settlement in Syria, based on transition away from Asad. Protection of minorities is a key pillar of international agreements on transition in Syria and also of proposals by the Syrian Opposition. We are using our aid budget to alleviate the immediate humanitarian suffering of the most vulnerable people in the region, including minorities. The UK has pledged £169.5 million in humanitarian aid for Iraq and £2.3 billion in response to the Syria crisis.

Serbia: Visits Abroad

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 6 December 2016 to Question 55856, what length of time he spent at the Geca Kon bookstore, Serbia on 11 November 2016.

Sir Alan Duncan: I refer the Hon. Member to my answer to written parliamentary question 56447.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Equal Pay

Jake Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what plans his Department has to publish information on the gender pay gap among its employees.

Sir Alan Duncan: The Annual FCO Diversity and Equality Report, published on Gov.uk, sets out average salaries of FCO employees by gender and grade.

Syria: Armed Conflict

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions the Government has had with its allies on establishing an area in eastern Syria that could be controlled by non-Assad democratic forces.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Government has regular discussions with our key international partners on the situation in Syria. Most recently on 10 December the Foreign Secretary met his counterparts from like-minded countries on Syria in Paris. In these discussions many possible tactics and longer-terms solutions have been considered, including different ways of supporting the Syrian opposition. The opposition continues to hold territory in several areas of the country including the north around Idlib and the south around Dera’a. With support from Turkey, the opposition has made welcome progress in taking territory from Daesh in Northern Syria, clearing Daesh from the Turkish border. The UK will remain a strong supporter of the moderate opposition in Syria.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Freedom of Information

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will list the (a) Decision Notices his Department has been issued with the Information Commissioner's Office which conclude that his Department has breached section 17(3) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and (b) requests for information to which each such notice refers in the last 12 months.

Sir Alan Duncan: In the last 12 months the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has been issued with one Decision Notice by the Information Commissioner’s Office which concluded that the FCO had been in breach of section 17(3) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA). The Decision Notice reference number is: FS50654815 and the request was for information related to Yemen.

Colombia: Political Prisoners

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what information his Department holds on the conditions in which political prisoners are held in Colombia; and if he will make a statement.

Sir Alan Duncan: Prison conditions in Colombia, including over-population and the treatment of prisoners are particularly concerning. The Colombian Minister of Justice declared an emergency in the prison sector in May this year as 74 of Colombia's 138 prisons faced a shortage of medical staff. The detention of human rights defenders and activists in Colombia, often without trial or access to legal representation remains a concern. Access to justice and the rule of law remain central priorities for the UK in Colombia. Our Embassy in Bogotá has closely followed the cases of individual political prisoners, such as David Ravelo and Húber Ballesteros, discussing concerns with the Presidential Advisor for Human Rights and the prisons authority. We continue to raise these cases and others with the Government of Colombia on a regular basis.

Colombia: Terrorism

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effect on the peace process in Colombia of the continuing existence of paramilitaries in regions such as Cauca; and if he will make a statement.

Sir Alan Duncan: The FCO 2015 Human Rights and Democracy Report on Colombia stated that "security could worsen following signing of a peace deal, as illegal armed groups and criminals may fill the vacuum left by FARC’s demobilisation. Threats to land reform campaigners and HRDs may increase in the short term".The presence of illegal armed groups across Colombia remains a concern, particularly in areas where the FARC will begin the process of disarmament. The UK's prioritises efforts to reduce impunity for human rights violations and abuses in our work with Colombia. It is in everyone's interest that the new peace agreement brings stability and prosperity to all of Colombia, including the people of Cauca.

Pakistan: Minority Groups

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has made representations to his Pakistani counterpart on the reported raiding of the Tehrik-e-Jadid office of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community in that country on 5 December 2016; and if he will make a statement.

Alok Sharma: We are aware of reports of the raid on the Ahmadiyya office in Pakistan. The Government strongly condemns the persecution of all minorities, including the targeting of people based on their beliefs. Our concerns are reflected in the latest update to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office annual human rights report.We regularly raise our concerns about the protection of minority communities, including religious minorities, with the Pakistani Government at a senior level. During his visit to Pakistan in November, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Boris Johnson), raised religious tolerance and the importance of safeguarding the rights of all Pakistan's citizens. We continue to urge Pakistan to honour in practice its human rights obligations, including those related to religious minorities, and to uphold the rule of law.

Iraq: Dams

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the structural integrity of the Mosul Dam; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We remain extremely concerned about the structural integrity of Mosul Dam as there is a risk it could fail. The Government of Iraq, with assistance from the international community, has begun to take measures to improve the structural integrity of the dam. We anticipate those measures will begin to reduce the risk of dam failure over time. It is currently impossible to accurately predict if or when a failure might occur. A failure could lead to major flooding in the Tigris river valley, from Mosul to Baghdad.

Iraq: Dams

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to his Iraqi counterpart on issues relating to the structural integrity of the Mosul Dam; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We are in close touch with the Governments of Iraq, the US and our European partners, as well as the UN, about the Mosul Dam. The Government of Iraq, with assistance from the international community, has begun to take measures to improve the structural integrity of the dam. We anticipate those measures will begin to reduce the risk of dam failure over time. Alongside the US, we are working with the Government of Iraq, the UN and other partners to ensure Iraq has effective contingency planning in place, including early warning and humanitarian planning, to enable ordinary Iraqis and the international community to respond in the event of failure. Our Embassy has plans to ensure staff are safe and we have updated our travel advice to highlight the risk to the general public.

Cabinet Office

Public Appointments: Females

Paula Sherriff: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what proportion of public appointments were women from (a) 1 January to 12 July 2016 and (b) 13 July 2016 to date.

Ben Gummer: Statistics on public appointments are published annually by the Commissioner for Public Appointments.Data published in July 2016 shows that for the financial year 2015/16 a 48.2% of new public appointments were made to women, higher than at any point in the last decade. Data for the financial year 2016/17 will be published by the Commissioner next summer.

Electronic Government: Proof of Identity

Louise Haigh: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the cost to the public purse has been of the gov.uk Verify system since its inception to date.

Ben Gummer: GOV.UK Verify has cost £54.4m to develop to date. GOV.UK Verify has saved £111.44m.

Elections: Fraud

Mr Peter Bone: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent steps he has taken to tackle voter fraud; what plans his Department has to tackle such fraud in the future; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Skidmore: The Government is committed to tackling fraud and making our electoral process more secure. We have introduced and developed Individual Electoral Registration over the past two years to tighten up the registration process and recently welcomed Sir Eric Pickles’ report on his review into electoral fraud to which we are giving careful attention as an important step in looking at improvements to the voting process. The Government will publish its report in due course.

Electronic Government: Proof of Identity

Louise Haigh: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 8 December 2016 to Question 56146, how many people registering their identity have used the service to (a) report a medical condition that affects their driving, (b) renew a short-term medical driving licence, (c) check their income tax for the current year, (d) get a state pension statement, (e) sign into their personal tax account, (f) view or share driving licence information, (g) apply for universal credit, (h) claim for redundancy and monies owed, (i) file a self assessment tax return, (j) update rural payment details, (k) assist friends or family with their tax and (l) check or update company car tax details.

Ben Gummer: The number of new verified identity accounts used to register and access the following government services since GOV.UK Verify went into public beta on the 14th October 2016, is as follows:Government serviceNew verified accounts used to register and access a service (LOA2)New basic accounts used to register and access a service (LOA1)Claim for redundancy and monies owed42,875Update rural payment details13,754View or share driving licence information24,482Apply for universal credit29,307Check or update company car tax details49,088Assist friends or family with their tax1,929Sign into their personal tax account43,539File a self assessment tax return234,904Check their income tax for the current year24,961Get a state pension statement62,587Report a medical condition that affects their driving979Renew a short-term medical driving licence545

Department for International Development

Afghanistan: Dams

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assistance her Department has provided in respect of the Kajaki Dam project in Afghanistan.

Rory Stewart: The Kajaki Dam was financed by the US Government. In the summer of 2008 UK military forces were involved in delivering a third turbine to the dam. DFID, however, was not involved, and has not been involved in the dam.

Developing Countries: Electricity

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what programmes her Department has supported in the last five years to delivery electricity to developing countries; and which of those programmes provided outcomes that met the International Energy Agency definition of 250 kwh electricity for rural households and 500 kwh for urban households.

James Wharton: Details of DFID programmes that improve energy access in developing countries can be found on our website at https://devtracker.dfid.gov.uk/All DFID energy programmes seek to contribute to Global Goal 7 (sustainable energy for all). This involves balancing a range of features including quantity of electricity (ie kWh), availability, reliability, and affordability, as reflected in the Global Tracking Framework, co-led by the International Energy Agency and World Bank.

Developing Countries: Energy

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what estimate she has made of the effectiveness and value for money of projects to provide energy to developing countries in the last five years.

James Wharton: All projects must demonstrate value for money before they can be implemented and are monitored through regular annual reviews. All project business cases and annual reviews are published on our website at https://devtracker.dfid.gov.uk/For example, the UK Government’s Energy Africa campaign and associated programmes provide cost effective household solar products such as solar lights. The World Bank reports that replacing kerosene with simple solar lights offers returns on investment of at least 15 times the cost of the solar light.

Developing Countries: Electricity

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to prioritise projects that will provide electricity in countries that have limited access to electricity supply.

James Wharton: DFID has prioritised a range of programmes which seek to improve energy access in developing countries, many of which have large numbers of poor people with limited or no access to electricity. All of these programmes support delivery of Global Goal 7, to achieve universal access to affordable and modern energy for all by 2030.For example, programmes in Kenya and Tanzania aim to stimulate investment in community scale, renewable energy “mini-grids”, increasing electricity access for millions of people. Power generation makes up 21% of CDC investments, which will deliver 56,000 Gigawatt hours of electricity for homes and businesses in the poorest economies in Africa and Asia.

Developing Countries: HIV Infection

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what estimate her Department has made of the amount of research carried out into paediatric formulations of antiretrovirals within the pharmaceutical sector in developing countries; and if her Department plans to incentivise research into that area.

James Wharton: A number of organisations, including pharmaceutical companies, generic drug manufacturers and product development partnerships are developing paediatric formulations of antiretroviral therapy, for use in developing countries. In addition to the existing UK tax incentives for pharmaceutical sector research and development, the UK Government supports UNITAID and the Global Fund, which provide a market for medicines, a powerful incentive for research and development.

Developing Countries: Females

Paula Sherriff: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what her strategic objectives are in relation to women and girls in developing countries.

James Wharton: DFID’s Strategic Vision for Girls and Women, published in 2011, sets out four, interlinked game-changing ‘pillars’ critical for empowering girls and women:1. Girls’ completion of primary and secondary education2. Economic empowerment3. Ability to live free from violence4. Universal sexual and reproductive health and rights.DFID is committed to delivering the Prime Minister’s promise on tackling modern slavery and the 2015 government manifesto. ‘We will promote girls’ education, encourage equal access to property rights and work to achieve access to family planning for everyone who wants it. We will continue to lead efforts to tackle violence against women and girls, end FGM and combat early and forced marriage, both at home and abroad’.

Department for Education

Class Sizes: Nottinghamshire

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children in Key Stage 2 in (a) Ashfield constituency and (b) Nottinghamshire were taught in classes of more than (i) 30 and (ii) 35 in (A) 2015-16, (B) 2014-15 and (C) 2013-14.

Nick Gibb: Information about the number of pupils in Key Stage 2 classes with more than 30 pupils is available at school level in the underlying data of the ‘schools, pupils and their characteristics’ statistics[1]. The following table shows the number of pupils in Key Stage 2 classes with (a) more than 30 pupils and (b) more than 35 pupils in schools in Ashfield constituency and Nottinghamshire local authority for the academic years beginning in September 2013, 2014 and 2015.Key Stage 2January 2014(Academic year 2013-14)January 2015(Academic year 2014-15)January 2016(Academic year 2015-16)Ashfield Constituency   Total pupils in classes of more than 30 pupils6316151,041Of which pupils in classes of 36+ pupils3675218Nottinghamshire   Total pupils in classes of more than 30 pupils4,2574,5635,280Of which pupils in classes of 36+ pupils110111371 [1] Data from January 2014 is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/schools-pupils-and-their-characteristics-january-2014 in the file called ‘SFR15_2014_school_level_classes_UD’ within the underlying data download.Data from January 2015 is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/schools-pupils-and-their-characteristics-january-2015 in the file called ‘SFR16_2015_Schools_Classes_UD’ within the underlying data download.Date from January 2016 is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/schools-pupils-and-their-characteristics-january-2016 in the file called ‘SFR20_2016_Schools_Classes_UD’ within the underlying data download.

Class Sizes: Nottinghamshire

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children in Key Stage 4 in (a) Ashfield constituency and (b) Nottinghamshire were taught in classes of more than (i) 30 and (ii) 35 in (A) 2015-16, (B) 2014-15 and (C) 2013-14.

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children in Key Stage 3 in (a) Ashfield constituency and (b) Nottinghamshire were taught in classes of more than (i) 30 and (ii) 35 in (A) 2015-16, (B) 2014-15 and (C) 2013-14.

Nick Gibb: Schools are not required to provide to the Department information on class sizes for Key Stages 3 and 4. Information on class sizes in secondary schools overall (not split into Key Stages) can be found at school level in the underlying data of the ‘schools, pupils and their characteristics’ statistics[1]. [1] Date from January 2016 is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/schools-pupils-and-their-characteristics-january-2016 in the file called ‘SFR20_2016_Schools_Classes_UD’ within the underlying data download.

Primary Education: West Sussex

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many state funded primary schools in West Sussex are rated in the top 250 in England for key stage 2 national curriculum assessment outcomes at level 5 in reading, writing and mathematics.

Nick Gibb: In 2014/15, one state funded mainstream primary school in West Sussex was rated in the top 250 in England for Key Stage 2 National Curriculum assessment outcomes at level 5 and above in reading, writing and mathematics. The percentage of pupils achieving level 5 and above in reading, writing and mathematics for 2014/15 is published at school level as part of the ‘Primary school performance tables, key stage 2: 2015 (final)’ publication[1]. Information on attainment under the new national curriculum tests at Key Stage 2 was published at school level as part of the ‘Primary school performance tables, key stage 2: 2016 (revised)’ publication on 15th December 2016. [1] https://www.compare-school-performance.service.gov.uk/

Department for Education: Personnel Management

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many people employed in human resources roles in her Department have (a) prior experience and (b) qualifications in human resources.

Caroline Dinenage: There are 32 people who have qualifications in human resources currently working in Human Resources roles in the Department for Education. All candidates selected into Human Resources roles have prior experience relevant to the role.

Education: Standards

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she plans to take to improve the performance of pupils in England in the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study.

Nick Gibb: The Government is committed to raising standards of achievement in mathematics and science. We have introduced a rigorous new curriculum and new qualifications to match expectations set in the highest performing education jurisdictions internationally.For mathematics, we are providing £41m over the next four years to introduce mathematics mastery in primary schools, based on successful teaching approaches from south-east Asia. In science we are investing £12.1m over the next three years in the national network of Science Learning Partnerships to improve the quality of science teaching in primary and secondary schools.We offer significant financial incentives to attract science and mathematics graduates into teaching and are investing up to £67m over four years to train an additional 2,500 maths and physics teachers by the end of this parliament.

Schools: Music

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the performance of school music hubs; and if she will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: In October this year, Arts Council England published the latest annual data on music education hubs. The report showed that hubs have been supporting an increasing number of children and schools. In 2014/15 they taught 631,223 children to play an instrument through whole class ensemble teaching, up from 596,820 in the previous year. They also worked with 86% of state-funded schools, 18,811 schools compared with 18,157 in the previous year. More details are included in the report, which is available on Arts Council England’s website. Last month, we announced funding of £75 million a year until 2020 for the network of music education hubs to allow them to reach even more pupils and schools.

Teachers: Labour Turnover

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many newly qualified teachers have remained in the teaching profession in state schools in (a) Wansbeck constituency and (b) England after (i) one year, (ii) two years, (iii) three years, (iv) four years and (v) five years of qualification in each of the last five years.

Nick Gibb: The following table provides the full and part time[1] number of newly qualified teachers that have remained in service for one to five years after qualifying in state funded schools in England.   Percentage of teachers in regular service in the state-funded schools sector in England after[2]Year qualified[3]Recorded In service by[4]Number of newly qualified entrants entering service[5]1 year2 years3 years4 years5 years2010November 201024,10087%82%77%73%70%2011November 201120,60088%83%77%73% 2012November 201223,00088%81%75%  2013November 201323,60087%80%   2014November 201424,20087%2015November 201525,500   The table of figures is an extract of a published table that shows the retention rates of newly qualified teachers between 1996 and 2015. The full data are contained within Table 8 of the statistical first release ‘School Workforce in England, November 2015’ which is available at the following web link:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/school-workforce-in-england-november-2015 Statistics on teacher retention below national (England) level are not available. [1] Teachers in part-time service are under-recorded on the Database of Teacher Records by between 10 and 20% and therefore these figures may be underestimated.[2] The percentage of teachers in service in anyone year will include those who may not have had continuous service to that year. For example, teachers could be in service for five consecutive years, miss a year, and then be in service in year seven onwards after qualifying.[3] Calendar year in which the teachers qualified.[4] Financial year during which the teachers entered service.[5] Newly qualified entrants in year x are defined as all teachers who qualified between November x-1 and November x and were in service in school year x/x+1.(p) Figures relating to 2010-11 and 2011-12 are provisional; entrant numbers rounded to nearest 100.

Children's Centres: Closures

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 6 December 2016 to Question 55895, on children's centres: closures, in which regions such centres closed in each such year.

Caroline Dinenage: Based on the information supplied by local authorities the numbers of centres closed year by year in each region is given in the table below: EnglandNorth EastNorth WestYorks & HumberEast MidsWest MidsEasternLondonSouth EastSouth West20100 201112  11 120122751  849  201333.41 1123.320148511213  22131212201515629265349 3932Total31345331935827951518

Pre-school Education

Julie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will reverse her Department's decision requiring Level 3 early years educators to have at least grade C GCSEs in English and mathematics.

Caroline Dinenage: A well-qualified workforce in the early years is absolutely crucial and that is why the Government has committed to developing a workforce strategy which will help employers attract, retain and develop staff to deliver high quality provision. This will include a response to a recent consultation the Department published on the literacy & numeracy qualification requirements for level 3 Early Years Educator staff. This consultation closed on 28 November 2016 and received over 4,000 responses. The Department is currently analysing the responses and a government response will be published in the new year.

Schools: Standards

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many schools have received a reduced Ofsted status over the last three years in England.

Nick Gibb: This is a matter for Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Sir Michael Wilshaw. I have asked him to write to you and a copy of his reply will be placed in the libraries of the House.

Schools: Greater London

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps the Government plans to take to protect state maintained schools in Greater London from the effect on their budgets of rising (a) staff and (b) other costs and real-terms funding reductions in 2016-17 and in 2017-18.

Nick Gibb: The Government recognises the importance of investing in education, and at the Spending Review confirmed a real terms protection for the core schools budget. Throughout this Parliament, the money available for our schools will increase as pupil numbers rise. As with other public services, we recognise that schools are facing cost pressures from salary increases, the introduction of the National Living Wage, increases to employers’ National Insurance and Teachers’ Pension Scheme contributions and general inflation. We are introducing a National Funding Formula to give greater certainty on funding and allow schools to plan ahead effectively. This is to ensure that resources are matched fairly and consistently across the country to school and pupil need. We are also committed to providing support for schools to improve their levels of efficiency. In January we published a wide range of tools and support, available at:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/schools-financial-health-and-efficiency, and we will launch a school buying strategy to support schools to save over £1bn a year by 2019-20 on their non-staff spend.

Children's Centres

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many Sure Start children's centres there were in England in each year since 2010; and how many such centres provided onsite childcare in each such year.

Caroline Dinenage: Based on the information supplied by local authorities, the total numbers of main children’s centres and sites each year since 2010 are set out below: Total number main centres and sites at start of the year2010[1]3,61520113,61520123,60320133,57620143,54320153,458  The Department does not collect data on the number of children’s centres providing childcare on site.The Department collects information on the provision of child care through the Childcare and Early Years Providers Survey[2]. This information allows us to estimate the number of children's centres providing full day care provision on site. Estimates from the 2013 Childcare and Early Years Providers survey show that in 2010 the number of children's centres providing on-site full day care was 800 and that in 2013 this figure was 450. Results of the 2013 survey suggest that increases in the broader supply of full day care provision may have impacted on demand for provision specifically based in children's centres. The survey estimates that between 2010 and 2013 the number of full day care providers increased from 16,700 to 17,900.[1] Figures for 2010 begin from April 2010. Figures for subsequent years begin from 1 January.[2] Childcare and Early Years Provider Survey 2013: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/childcare-and-early-years-providers-survey-2013

Ministry of Justice

National Offender Management Service: Consultants

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much (a) National Offender Management Service (NOMS) and (b) his Department spent on external consultancy fees related to NOMS in each of the last five years.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The information requested for the MoJ is published in the department’s annual accounts. These can be found on gov.uk.Data for core NOMS spending on consultancy can be found in the table below.YearNOMS Consultancy Spend2011/2012£6,473,0002012/2013£288,0002013/2014£217,0002014/2015£1,881,000As of 2015/16, NOMS consultancy spend is published in the annual report and accounts, which is available on gov.uk.

Visas: Overseas Students

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many appeals to Tier 4 visa decisions were (a) received and (b) upheld by the appellant's country of origin in each of the last 12 months.

Sir Oliver Heald: HM Courts & Tribunal Service (HMCTS) does not hold this information centrally and it can only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Visas: Overseas Students

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 14 November 2016 to Question 51925, what the average time taken for processing appeals to tier 4 visa decisions was in the last 12 months; what time targets or limits she has set in relation to processing such appeals; on how many occasions the length of time taken to process such an appeal has prevented a successful applicant from taking up a place at a UK higher education institution in the last 12 months; and what the country of origin of each such applicant was.

Sir Oliver Heald: Information on the average time taken for processing appeals to Tier 4 visa decisions in the last 12 months is not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.Targets or time limits are not set for processing appeals from Tier 4 decisions.HM Courts & Tribunal Service (HMCTS) does not hold information on how many occasions the length of time taken in such cases prevented a successful applicant from taking up a place at a UK higher education institution.

Community Rehabilitation Companies

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how the Weighted Annual Value for Community Rehabilitation Companies is calculated.

Mr Sam Gyimah: This information is publically available in the contracts finder on gov.uk.

Divorce

Mr Jonathan Lord: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans she has to allow separating couples to divorce without blame.

Sir Oliver Heald: As the Government made clear in the recent consultation on court reform, we are considering what further changes are needed to the family justice system and will bring forward proposals in due course.

Immigration: Appeals

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of First-tier Tribunal users represented themselves as litigants in person; and what proportion of those tribunals found in favour of the appellant for each (a) chamber and jurisdiction as defined by the Courts and Tribunals Judiciary in September 2016 and (b) quarter in the last 10 years.

Sir Oliver Heald: HMCTS does not hold this information centrally for First-tier Tribunals and this information could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Bill of Rights

Ms Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the timetable is for the introduction of proposals for a British Bill of Rights.

Sir Oliver Heald: We shall set out our proposals for a Bill of Rights in due course, and we shall of course consult fully on those proposals.

Prisons: Civil Disorder

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether any member of the (a) National Tactical Response Group and (b) Tornado Team has been injured during a call-out in the last two years.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The information requested is not held centrally.

Prisons: Civil Disorder

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, on how many occasions the (a) National Tactical Response Group and (b) Tornado Team have been called out to prisons in each year since 2010.

Mr Sam Gyimah: I refer the Honourable Member to the answer given to PQ 22415 on 18 January 2016, and to PQ45566 on 16 September 2016.

Prisoners: Crimes of Violence

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many extra days imprisonment have been given to prisoners for assaults committed on (a) fellow prisoners and (b) prison staff in each of the last five years.

Mr Sam Gyimah: We want our prisons to be places of safety and reform, and so it is right that offenders who break prison rules are properly punished. Where this amounts to a criminal offence, prisoners should expect to be investigated by the police and face more serious sanctions.We are committed to improving safety across the prison estate and are already taking action. This includes tackling the use of drugs, mobile phones and drones, while recruiting new staff and improving protection for staff.Information on the number of additional days awarded to prisoners as a result of adjudications for assaults against staff and prisoners in each of the last five years can be found in the attached table.

Prisons: Weapons

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many weapons have been confiscated in prisons in each year since 2010; and what (a) number and (b) proportion of such weapons were firearms.

Mr Sam Gyimah: I refer the Honourable Member to the answer given to PQ 24706 on 10 February 2016.

Prison Accommodation

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people in each prison in England and Wales have been accommodated in cells designed for (a) one person but occupied by two and (b) two people but occupied by three in each year since 2010.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The information requested is available on gov.uk.

Prisons: Unmanned Air Vehicles

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisons in each category are (a) fitted and (b) not fitted with netting on outdoor areas to restrict drone access; and what other anti-drone techniques are being trialled in prisons.

Mr Sam Gyimah: A range of methods to counter the threat posed by drones are being trialled and evaluated for their effectiveness across the prison estate. This includes the use of technology to detect and block drones, the enhancement of physical security and working with drone manufacturers. Information on netting fitted by each prison and by purpose is not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Department for Culture, Media and Sport: Social Networking

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department is monitoring content that is publicly available on social networking sites using overt monitoring techniques.

Matt Hancock: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 24 November 2016.The correct answer should have been:

No.In respect of media management and campaign communications, the DCMS communications team monitor relevant publicly available social media content to evaluate the effectiveness of government campaigns. DCMS follows Government Communications Service (GCS) Standards using the GCS Evaluation Framework https://gcs.civilservice.gov.uk/guidance/evaluation/tools-and-resources/

Matt Hancock: No.In respect of media management and campaign communications, the DCMS communications team monitor relevant publicly available social media content to evaluate the effectiveness of government campaigns. DCMS follows Government Communications Service (GCS) Standards using the GCS Evaluation Framework https://gcs.civilservice.gov.uk/guidance/evaluation/tools-and-resources/

Internet: Children

Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to enable parents and guardians to ensure children access age-appropriate materials on the internet.

Matt Hancock: We are introducing legislation through the Digital Economy Bill to require that pornographic material must not be made available online on a commercial basis without age verification, to restrict its access to under 18s. Government works with the UK Council for Child Internet Safety to keep children and young people safe online. Bringing together industry, law enforcement, academia, charities and parenting groups, UKCCIS encourages good practice. It was a driving force in bringing in Family Friendly Filters, and has recently produced guidance for schools on sexting. Government also works directly with the ISPs and social media companies to help protect children online.

Mobile Phones: Radio Frequencies

Dr Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to paragraph 3.20 of the Autumn Statement 2016, what her timetable is for (a) tackling network not spot zones and (b) national roll-out of 5G.

Matt Hancock: At 2016 Autumn Statement, the Government announced £1bn of new funding to boost the UK's digital infrastructure, including a programme of testbeds and trials to support the deployment and development of 5G. Further detail will be set out at Budget 2017 alongside a new 5G strategy, to ensure that the UK is able to maximise the opportunities from 5G leading to widespread deployment as soon as it is commercially viable. To tackle mobile not-spots, the Government locked in £5bn industry investment with each mobile operator having a licence obligation to provide coverage to at least 90% of UK landmass by end 2017. Additionally O2 has a licence obligation to provide indoor 4G coverage to 98% of premises, also by the end of 2017. These obligations will be enforced by Ofcom who will have a new power, under the Digital Economy Bill, to fine operators if they fail to meet these targets.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport: Equal Pay

Jake Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what plans her Department has to publish information on the gender pay gap among its employees.

Matt Hancock: The latest gender pay gap data (published in October earlier this year) can be found on the Office for National Statistics website: https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/publicsectorpersonnel/bulletins/civilservicestatistics/2016 DCMS also published the overall gender pay gap mean and median figures in the DCMS 2015/16 Annual Report and Accounts: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/538368/DCMS_Annual_Report_and_Accounts_2015-16__Print_Ready_Version_.pdf  In October 2015, the then Prime Minister announced that new gender pay gap reporting measures being introduced across the private and voluntary sector from April 2017 would be extended to also apply across the public sector. We are actively working to ensure the gender pay gap data we report in future fully mirrors these new requirements.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport: Public Appointments

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to support and promote the recommendations of the Parker Review on increasing the ethnic diversity of UK boards in appointments for which her Department is responsible.

Matt Hancock: DCMS is fully committed to ensuring diversity in all public appointments. In the first two quarters of 2016/17, 50% of new DCMS appointments went to women and 18% to BAME candidates. The DCMS public appointments team are always working to find ways to attract a wider pool of talent and to meet - and exceed - diversity targets. The team works closely with the Cabinet Office to identify potential barriers and has put in place a number of actions to overcome them - including bespoke advertising plans for each appointment campaign, targeting under-represented groups, and outreach events such as one aimed at women being equally represented on public sector boards.

Tickets: Sales

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many times she has met (a) StubHub, (b) Viagogo, (c) Seatwave, (d) GetMeIn! and (e) representatives of each of those companies since her appointment as Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport.

Matt Hancock: The Secretary of State met with representatives from Stubhub and Ticketmaster during a roundtable meeting on 30 November 2016 to discuss the issue of ticketing ‘bots’. Seatwave and GetMeIn! are Ticketmaster companies. The Secretary of State has not met representatives from Viagogo.

Tickets: Sales

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, who attended and from which organisations her Department's roundtable on the secondary market on 30 November 2016.

Matt Hancock: The Secretary of State met with representatives from the organisations listed below on 30 November 2016 to discuss the issue of the use of ‘bots’ in the online ticketing market: TicketmasterStubhubSociety of Ticket Agents and Retailers (STAR)English and Wales Cricket BoardConcert Promoters AssociationMusic Managers ForumNational Arenas AssociationAssociation of Secondary Ticketing Agents (ASTA)Glastonbury FestivalsSongkickLondon 2017, World AthleticsCitizens Advicewhich?AEG Margot James, Minister for Small Business, Consumers and Corporate Responsibility, Nigel Adams MP, and Professor Waterson, Chair of the Independent Review into the consumer protection measures concerning online ticketing facilities, were also present.

Music: Licensing

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent assessment she has made of the effect on small businesses of the licensing enforcement regime for the use of music in public spaces.

Matt Hancock: The Government believes that the Licensing Act 2003 has been effective in striking a fair balance between the wider public interest and potential impacts on individual citizens and removing unnecessary burdens for lower risk entertainment activities, which hampered cultural and community creativity and prevented businesses (especially small businesses) from diversifying.

Children's Centres: Music

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make it her policy to exempt children's play centres from licensing requirements for the use of music.

Matt Hancock: Whether a children’s play centre is subject to licensing requirements will depend on its individual circumstances. Some centres will require a licence to play live or recorded music, while others may not. Since 2010, government has implemented a package of deregulation in relation to the Licensing Act 2003 and there are no plans to deregulate further at this time.

Electronic Equipment: Internet

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions she has had with the Business Secretary on the security and safety of Internet of Things-connected (a) toys and (b) other devices.

Matt Hancock: The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport regularly discusses Cyber Security with colleagues across government. The cyber security of the UK is a top priority for the Government which is why we are investing £1.9 billion and have recently opened the National Cyber Security Centre to help make the UK the safest place to live and do business online. Further, the recently published 2016 National Cyber Security Strategy makes it clear that Government is committed to building a secure Internet and sets out an objective for “the majority of online products and services coming into use [to] become ‘secure by default’ by 2021.”In general, manufacturers of Internet-connected devices should ensure those devices have appropriate security measures built in and seek to ensure emerging technologies are secure by default. Device manufacturers can also help ensure consumers are aware of the need to change any default passwords to a strong password upon purchase. The Government funds a variety of ongoing research on cyber security to ensure we are able to address current and future challenges, such as security of Internet-connected devices. This includes 13 Academic Centres of Excellence in cyber security research based at UK universities, three cyber security Research Institutes investigating strategically important subjects and the Internet of Things Research Hub led by the PETRAS consortium of nine leading UK universities.

Public Libraries: Internet

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department has taken to increase the number of libraries with internet access and electronic workstation facilities.

Mr Rob Wilson: Libraries play a significant role in providing computers and Wi-Fi to enable people to access the internet and digital services, as well as offering digital skills training and support. The Government invested £2.6m in 2015/16 to install and upgrade Wi-Fi in over 1,000 libraries in England. This means that Wi-Fi is now available in over 99% of public libraries in England.

Broadband

Lucy Frazer: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to paragraph 3.20 of the Autumn Statement 2016, who will be able to apply for the £1 billion of additional Government investment in superfast broadband.

Lucy Frazer: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to paragraph 3.20 of the Autumn Statement 2016, when she expects the £1 billion of additional Government investment in superfast broadband to be available.

Matt Hancock: In his Autumn Statement, the Chancellor announced that the Government would invest over £1 billion in the UK’s digital infrastructure. This includes £400 million for a new Digital Infrastructure Investment Fund to boost commercial finance for emerging fibre broadband providers, this will be launched in early 2017. It also includes funding for further rollout of fibre broadband networks, which in partnership with local authorities across the UK who bid for fibre broadband connections, will prioritise faster connections for businesses and help build a better more productive economy for all. And, to facilitate the next wave of mobile technology, the Government will also fund a new programme of fibre and 5G trials.

Cultural Heritage

Karl McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps the Government is taking to protect the UK's cultural heritage.

Tracey Crouch: Government is committed to protecting our nation's cultural heritage and does so in a number of ways. These include statutory designation of heritage assets, recognition and management of UK World Heritage Sites, export licensing systems, grant-in-aid support to sixteen museums and galleries as well as a wide range of other government and public funding.

Broadcasting: Scots Gaelic Language

Mr Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to support the future of Gaelic broadcasting.

Matt Hancock: We reconginse MG Alba's contribution to Gaelic language broadcasting.We have enshrined, for the first time, a new commitment for the BBC in the Framework Agreement to continue their partnership with MG Alba for the next 11 years, continuing to deliver output in Gaelic.

Charities

Mr Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on supporting Local Charities Day 2016.

Mr Rob Wilson: Tomorrow is this country’s first ever Local Charities Day, when we can celebrate the small, local charities that make such a difference to our communities. I have written to all Parliamentarians asking them to support Local Charities Day and DCMS Ministers will be visiting local charities.

Football: Tax Avoidance

Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions her Department has had with football authorities on tax avoidance by football clubs, managers and players.

Tracey Crouch: What individuals or clubs pay in tax is a matter for HM Revenues and Customs, and football clubs, players and managers are treated no different to others and expected to adhere to the same principals.

Public Libraries: Finance

Bob Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to provide financial support for library provision.

Mr Rob Wilson: The Government recognises the importance of libraries to local communities. Local authorities are responsible for funding library services in England, and made net investment of £701 million in 2015/16. In addition, DCMS has established a £4 million ‘Libraries: Opportunities for Everyone’ fund, managed by the Arts Council and funded a £2.6 million programme to ensure wifi is available in nearly every public library in England.

Football: Sexual Offences

Mr Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps the Government is taking to support people affected by allegations of sexual abuse in football.

Tracey Crouch: The Government has committed £7m of funding for organisations supporting victims and survivors of sexual abuse for the current financial year.The majority of this money is provided directly to Police and Crime Commissioners to support local organisations.Over half a million pounds was shared between national support organisations, including organisations like NAPAC, the National Association for People Abused in Childhood.

Department for Work and Pensions

Jobseeker's Allowance

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the effect of the (a) Jobseeker's Allowance (Habitual Residence) Amendment Regulations 2013 and (b) three month rule provisions of those regulations on UK nationals who have returned to the UK after undertaking short-term contracts abroad.

Damian Hinds: An analysis of the impact of the Jobseekers Allowance (Habitual Residence) Amendment Regulations was published in August 2016.https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/548225/analysis-of-eea-migrants-access-to-income-related-benefits-measures.pdf The information requested for UK nationals who have returned to the UK after undertaking short-term contracts abroad is not available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Jobseeker's Allowance

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will bring forward proposals to ensure that jobseeker's allowance claimants who have worked abroad for more than 13 weeks but are normally resident in the UK are exempted from the three-month rule.

Damian Hinds: It has always been the case that any UK national who returns to this country after an extended period must demonstrate they are habitually resident to be eligible for income-related benefits. Since 1 January 2014, most jobseekers must also have been living in the UK for three months before any consideration can be given to whether they are habitually resident to be eligible to receive income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance.Regulations were amended from 9 November 2014 to exempt from the three month residence requirement members of the Armed Forces and Crown servants who were serving abroad and others who had paid certain types of UK national insurance contributions at some point during their absence abroad. We have no plans to introduce further exemptions from the three month requirement.

Jobseeker's Allowance

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many claimants have been refused jobseeker's allowance upon returning to the UK after working abroad for more than 13 weeks but less than six months since January 2014.

Damian Hinds: The information requested is not available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Social Security Benefits: Disqualification

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what research his Department has conducted on the health effects on claimants of the imposition of benefit sanctions and the processes related to the mandatory reconsideration and appeal of such sanctions.

Damian Hinds: The Department has published the following research reports which are available on GOV.UK in line with our standard process.Department for Works and Pensions, A review of the JSA sanctions regime: Summary research findings. Research Report No 313. 2006Department for Works and Pensions, Qualitative research exploring the Pathways to Work sanctions regime. Research Report No 475. 2008Oakley, Independent review of the operation of Jobseeker’s Allowance sanctions validated by the Jobseekers Act 2013. 2014 These reports collect information on the health and disability status of claimants, and examine the impact of sanctions and the sanctions and appeals process on claimants.

Jobcentres: Glasgow

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, which companies or organisations (a) hold and (b) own the lease for each of the 16 jobcentres in Glasgow; and if he will make a statement.

Damian Hinds: Since 1998 the Department occupies the majority of its accommodation under a Private Finance Initiative (PFI) known as the PRIME contract. Under the terms of this 20-year PFI, the Department contracts to occupy fully serviced accommodation from its private sector partner, Telereal Trillium. The leases for the buildings in question are included within the provisions of this PFI arrangement and are therefore not held by DWP. Therefore we are unable to supply the information requested.

Housing Benefit: Young People

Neil Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an estimate of the number of people aged under 21 who will be affected by the planned removal of the housing benefit element of universal credit who have a mental health issue.

Caroline Nokes: Current estimates suggest that 10,000 people will be affected by the policy in total. The Department does not hold information which estimates how many of those have a mental health issue. Nonetheless, the Department has worked in collaboration with a range of stakeholders to make sure the policy includes the right exemptions to protect the most vulnerable people; including those who have a mental health issue.

Housing Benefit: Young People

Neil Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the (a) number of people aged under 21 who will be affected by and (b) effect on the level homelessness of the planned removal of the housing benefit element of universal credit.

Caroline Nokes: Current estimates suggest that 10,000 people will be affected by the policy. The Department has worked in collaboration with key stakeholders such as Crisis and Shelter to make sure the policy includes the right exemptions to protect the most vulnerable people, including those at risk of homelessness; we are therefore confident about the robustness of the policy.

Employment

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 1 December 2016 to Question 55249, by what date the Government anticipates that the Real Time Information function of universal credit will make it possible to track claimant earnings.

Damian Hinds: Since the start of Universal Credit the Real Time Information (RTI) system has been helping to ensure that we get Universal Credit claims right by providing us with accurate and timely details of earnings payments from Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs. The system is working well with over 99% of individual employment records now being reported in real time. We expect the number of working claimants with earnings reported via RTI to increase as Universal Credit continues to roll out and claimant numbers increase accordingly.

Universal Credit

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the monthly average response time was for calls to universal credit helplines in each year since the introduction of that credit; what the longest response time was in that period; how many such calls were recorded as abandoned; and how many complaints about response times for those helplines were made in that period.

Damian Hinds: We do not capture data specifically on complaints about response times for answering Universal Credit helplines. The other information requested is not collated centrally and could only be supplied at disproportionate cost.

Jobcentres

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people have used the services of jobcentre offices in (a) the UK, (b) Greater London, (c) the London Borough of Newham and (d) East Ham constituency in each of the last six years.

Damian Hinds: The Department for Work and Pensions does not measure the number of people visiting its network of Jobcentres. Statistics on the claimant count, which show the number of Jobseeker’s Allowance and Universal Credit claimants by geography, can be found at: https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/default.asp Guidance on how to extract the information required can be found at: https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/home/newuser.asp

Social Security Benefits

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether British citizens returning from a period living in another EU country are fully entitled immediately to receive (a) NHS treatment, (b) access to public funds and (c) a full state pension.

Damian Hinds: Access to free NHS treatment by British citizens returning here after living in another EU country depends on whether they intend to live here permanently. Their access to public funds depends on the type of benefit claimed and, for most income-related benefits, whether they are habitually resident in this country or the Common Travel Area. The state pension is contribution-based and the amount payable depends on the individual’s National Insurance record. Those already in receipt of the state pension when they return would continue to receive this at the same rate.

Jobcentres: Glasgow

Stewart Malcolm McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, who owns the (a) Langside, (b) Castlemilk and (c) Newlands Jobcentre Plus offices.

Damian Hinds: Since 1998 the Department occupies the majority of its accommodation under a Private Finance Initiative (PFI) known as the PRIME contract. Under the terms of this 20-year PFI, the Department contracts to occupy fully serviced accommodation from its private sector partner, Telereal Trillium. The leases for the buildings in question are included within the provisions of this PFI arrangement and are therefore not held by DWP. Therefore we are unable to supply the information you have requested.

Child Poverty Unit: Staff

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many full-time equivalent staff currently work in the Child Poverty Unit.

Damian Hinds: The Department for Work and Pensions has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Social Security Benefits: Children

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 7 December 2016 to Question 55878, on social security benefits: children, whether his Department discussed that matter with the Public and Commercial Services trade union.

Damian Hinds: The Department has not met with the PCS specifically on this issue. However, I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given by the Rt. Hon David Gauke on 07/12/2016 to UIN 55878.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Flood Control

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to paragraph 1.301 of Budget 2016, which schemes (a) have been and (b) are planned to be supported by the £150 million investment in flood defence schemes in Leeds, Cumbria, Calder Valley and York.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The table below indicates the flood risk management schemes in Leeds, Cumbria, Calder Valley and York that were allocated funding from the £150 million investment announced in the Budget 2016. Flood risk management schemesLeeds Flood Alleviation SchemeYork Flood Alleviation SchemeKendal Flood Alleviation SchemeAppleby Flood Alleviation SchemeFilmby Flood Alleviation SchemeEamont Bridge Flood Alleviation SchemeWigton Flood Alleviation SchemePooley Bridge Flood Alleviation SchemeRickerby Flood Alleviation SchemeBraithwaite Flood Alleviation SchemeCalder Valley - Hebden Bridge Flood Alleviation SchemeCalder Valley - Mytholmroyd Flood Alleviation SchemeCalder Valley - Flood Risk Reduction Schemes 1Calder Valley - Flood Risk Reduction Schemes 2 The ‘Calder Valley - Flood Risk Reduction Scheme 1’ comprises a package of works to reduce flood risk throughout the Calder Valley while the ‘Calder Valley - Flood Risk Reduction Schemes 2’ entails a package of works to deliver catchment-wide measures and to develop potential schemes for affected communities in place such as Brighouse, Sowerby Bridge, Copley, Midgely, Halifax.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Equal Pay

Jake Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans her Department has to publish information on the gender pay gap among its employees.

George Eustice: Our Department has reported mean and median gender pay gap data since 2008 as part of the annual release of Civil Service Statistics by the Office for National Statistics. The latest gender pay gap data (published in October earlier this year) can be found on the Office for National Statistics website: https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/publicsectorpersonnel/bulletins/civilservicestatistics/2016 In October 2015, the Prime Minister announced that new gender pay gap reporting measures being introduced across the private and voluntary sector from April 2017 would be extended to also apply across the public sector. We are actively working to ensure the gender pay gap data we report in future fully mirrors these new requirements.

Farmers: Mental Health

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 6 December 2016 to Question 55821, if she will make it her policy to provide support to farmers who are experiencing depression or anxiety related to delayed single payments and other financial issues.

George Eustice: In 2015 the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) offered a hardship fund to help farmers with delayed payments and in financial need. For 2016, the RPA began making Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) payments when the payment window opened on 1 December. On 13 December the Agency announced that it had made payments, worth £882 million, to approximately 68% (around 59,000) of eligible claimants with a range of claim types and sizes, including those inspected and with common land. The RPA remains focused on paying 90% of eligible claims by the end of the month. The RPA is working with a range of farming help organisations such as the Farming Community Network and the Citizens’ Advice Bureau. Should the RPA need to make use of BPS Financial Support Payments to deal with hardship cases it will do so.

Manufacturing Industries: Technology

Dr Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to calculate the cost to (a) consumers and (b) the environment of planned obsolescence of electronic products manufactured in the UK.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The Government is not trying to calculate the cost of planned obsolescence of electronic products in the UK. However, the UK supports work on this issue under the European Commission’s Circular Economy Action Plan, which includes a commitment to prepare an independent testing programme under Horizon 2020 to help identify the issues relating to planned obsolescence and to find ways to address them.

Animal Feed: Imports

Alan Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much cattle feed has been imported to the UK in the last five years; what proportion of the total amount was soya products; and from which countries those imports came.

George Eustice: According to HMRC trade data, the UK imported 28 million tonnes of animal feed[1] from 94 countries over the last five years (2011-2015). Approximately one third of these imports were soya based. The top ten countries accounted for approximately four fifths of these imports:ArgentinaNetherlandsU.S.A.Irish RepublicFranceIndonesiaBrazilGermanyMalaysiaUkraine[1] HMRC trade data does not separately identify imports of cattle feed. Therefore these figures relate to imports of all animal feed.

Wheat: Exports

Alan Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much British-grown wheat, of each grade type was (a) exported and (b) to which countries in the past five years for which figures are available.

George Eustice: According to HMRC trade data, the UK exported 7.4 million tonnes of common unmilled wheat to 54 countries over the last five years (2011-2015).The top five countries accounted for approximately four fifths of these exports:Spain – 2 million tonnesNetherlands – 2 million tonnesPortugal – 0.7 million tonnesIrish Republic – 0.5 million tonnesAlgeria – 0.4 million tonnes HMRC trade data does not separately identify wheat by grade i.e. bread, biscuits etc. It is publically available (free of charge) at: www.uktradeinfo.com.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Recruitment

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many staff her Department has recruited in each month of 2016.

George Eustice: The number of staff recruited each month in 2016, to 30 November is below: January13February8March8April20May7June8July24August16September32October46November44Total226

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Secondment

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many staff are seconded to her Department from other companies or organisations; and from which organisations and companies they have been seconded.

George Eustice: As at 30 November 2016 there were a total of 40 secondments into the Department from other companies or organisations and these are from the following companies or organisations: Environment AgencyNatural EnglandForestry CommissionAffinity WaterSevern Trent LtdWestminster County CouncilBritish SugarAnglian Water Services LtdHerts & Middlesex Wildlife Trust

Agriculture: Climate Change

Chris Elmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of the potential effect of climate change on the future contribution of the agriculture industry to the UK economy.

George Eustice: Defra publishes a Climate Change Risk Assessment (CCRA) every 5 years which assesses the risks and opportunities for the UK arising from climate change (including agriculture). The first CCRA report was published in 2012. The next CCRA Government Report will be laid before Parliament no later than January 2017. The underpinning evidence report for the second CCRA was published by the Adaptation Sub-Committee of the Committee on Climate Change in July.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Pay

Jake Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the percentage gap in earnings is between the pay of full-time staff in the highest pay grade in her Department and average full-time pay in that Department.

George Eustice: The Office for National Statistics publish the salary ratio of highest to median earners for each Civil Service organisation. These ratios are published annually as part of Civil Service Statistics and can be found on the Office for National Statistics website: https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/publicsectorpersonnel/bulletins/civilservicestatistics/2016

Waste

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many million tonnes of total waste the UK generated in each year from 2010.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The amount of total waste generated in the UK for 2010, 2012 and 2014 was 201.5, 193.8 and 202.8 million tonnes respectively. These figures relate to all waste produced by the economy and not just to household waste.These data are only compiled on a biannual basis so estimates are only available for these years with those for 2014 being the latest available data. These are published in ‘UK Waste Statistics’ which are available at : https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/uk-waste-data.

Waste

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many million tonnes of total waste she estimates the UK will generate in each of the next three years.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Defra does not forecast estimates of total waste generated in the UK in future years.

Wildlife: Smuggling

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when her Department plans to  bring forward new Control of Trade in Endangered Species Regulations.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: We fully intend to bring forward amendments to, and the consolidation of, the Control of Trade in Endangered Species (COTES) Regulations following on from the consultation we undertook earlier this year. Related to this we are currently exploring whether any further amendments may be required to COTES, in particular as a result of the proposal announced on 21 September to ban sales of ivory less than seventy years old. Our intention is that the amended COTES Regulations will be laid in 2017, subject to the outcome of the ivory consultation due to be launched in the New Year.

Recycling

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what proportion of household waste was recycled in each year since 2010.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The UK waste from households recycling rate for each year from 2010 to 2015 is shown in the table below. Data for 2015 are the latest data available. YearUK Recycling rate (%)201040.4201142.9201243.9201344.1201444.9201544.3 These data are available in the publication ‘UK Waste Statistics’ which are published at : https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/uk-waste-data.

Waste Management

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the UK rate of recovery was from non-hazardous construction and demolition waste in each year since 2010.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The UK rate of recovery from non-hazardous construction and demotion waste in each year from 2010 to 2014 is shown in the table below. Data for 2014 are the latest data available. YearUK C&D* recovery rate (%)201087.6201187.6201288.6201389.8201489.9*Excludes excavation waste These are available in the publication ‘UK Waste Statistics’ which are published at : https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/uk-waste-data.:

Coal Gasification

Margaret Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what her policy is on underground coal gasification.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The Government has made a firm commitment to reducing the UK’s carbon emissions, and our recent ratification of the historic Paris Agreement shows we are serious about global action on climate change. The Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) commissioned a report from Atkins into the greenhouse gas implications of underground coal gasification to inform Government policy about its development in the UK. The report was peer reviewed by academics and industry. The report finds that emissions from underground coal gasification would be too high to be consistent with our commitment to a low-carbon future. The Government is therefore minded not to support the development of this technology in the UK. A link to the Atkins report has been provided below: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/underground-coal-gasification-evidence-statement-of-global-warming-potential

Ivory

Pauline Latham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the oral contribution by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs of 8 December 2016, Official Report, columns 188-9WH, whether her Department's proposals to widen the UK ban on ivory sales will include sales of ivory products dating from before 1947.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: We have been actively exploring options to implement the Government’s manifesto commitment to press for a total ban on ivory sales and early next year we will consult on our proposal to ban sales of ivory that is less than 70 years old as of March 2017. As part of this, we plan to seek evidence on options and impacts of taking further action.

Soil

Dr Paul Monaghan: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to promote the use of more sustainable materials in topsoil and mulch products.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: We are supporting the horticulture sector to work towards targets for the removal of peat use in horticulture by 2020 for the retail sector and 2030 for the commercial sector as set out in the Natural Environment White Paper published in 2011. Part of this work is focussed on working with the industry on the development of a tool for assessing responsibly sourced and manufactured growing media ingredients.

Home Office

Members: Security

Mr Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 28 November 2016 to Question 52365, when hon. Members were first made aware of Operation Bridger.

Mr Ben Wallace: Operation BRIDGER is a nationwide police protective security operation to enhance the security of Members of Parliament. This was set up in the wake of a number of threats to MPs’ following the Parliamentary debates on Syria late last year.Advice and guidance regarding Members’ security and a process to access funding for standardised security measures was sent to all MPs’ by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) on 21 January. Following the murder of Jo Cox, a letter was sent to all Members on 27 June by the Assistant Commissioner Specialist Operations (ACSO), Mark Rowley, and the Chief Executive of IPSA, Marcial Boo, highlighting security measures in place and making some revisions to these, including introducing a police resource to provide for reporting of incidents within the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command at Westminster.On 16 September, the Leader of the House of Commons, David Lidington, and the Chairman of Ways and Means, Lindsay Hoyle, wrote to all Members to outline further changes to the processes for enabling security measures, to highlight police resource and ongoing work to develop a comprehensive picture of risk, and to note the provision of self protection training and protective security advice for Members.On 5 December, David Lidington and Lindsay Hoyle provided a further update to Members on personal security arrangements, which included details of a revised process to be followed by Members who have concerns regarding their security.

Ahmad Badreddin Hassoun

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether Ahmad Badreddin Hassoun was permitted to travel through the UK or move freely through the UK before he visited Ireland last week.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Home Office does not routinely comment on individual cases.

Police: Cardiff

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of allocating a proportion of funding from the National and International Capital City Grant for the policing of Cardiff.

Brandon Lewis: The Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for South Wales made representations for a National and International Capital City payment on 12 November 2014. The former Policing Minister concluded that there was not sufficient evidence to demonstrate that the demands arising from Cardiff’s capital city status were higher than other cities of a similar size. The PCC was invited to submit a detailed and fully costed business case to provide evidence of additional demand.

Motor Vehicles: Fees and Charges

Mr Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the total value of fees charged by each constabulary in the North West of England under the Removal, Storage and Disposal of Vehicles (Prescribed Sums and Changes) Regulations 2008 was in 2015; and on how many occasions each of those constabularies waived such fees for victims of crime in that year.

Brandon Lewis: We do not hold information centrally on the total amount of fees that each constabulary in the North West of England charged or waived in 2015 under the Removal, Storage and Disposal of Vehicles (Prescribed Sums and Changes) Regulations 2008. The decision to waive the charges is an operational matter for the police.

Immigration: Appeals

Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 11 November 2016 to Question 51383, what steps her Department is taking to collect statistics on the speed of UK Visas and Immigration's implementation of decisions made by the First Tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum).

Mr Robert Goodwill: Information relating to actions following an appeal is recorded on separate systems for in-country and overseas cases. Following analysis, improvements are now being made to internal reports on in-country cases to better reflect the way that post-appeal outcomes are recorded. For overseas cases, development of new systems is underway which will enable internal monitoring of performance in a number of post-decision activities, including the implementation of allowed appeal decisions.

Visas

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will list the main reasons why UK Visas and Immigration rejected visa applications in each of the last five years.

Mr Robert Goodwill: I am sorry but the Home Office does not hold the specific information in the format requested. To obtain it would involve interrogating individual case records, at disproportionate cost.

International Passenger Survey

Kevin Hollinrake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment her Department has made of the reliability of information contained in the International Passenger Survey for the purpose of migration control; and if she will make a statement.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The International Passenger Survey is undertaken by the Office for National Statistics, the UK’s independent statistical institute. The Office for National Statistics regularly reviews the quality and reliability of the International Passenger Survey (IPS), in line with the requirements of the UK Statistics Authority and the Government Statistics Service ‘Code of Practice for Official Statistics.

Immigrants: Detainees

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to end the adults at risk in immigration detention policy.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The new adults at risk policy recognises the dynamic nature of vulnerability and introduces a new focus on decision making with regard to immigration detention. It strengthens the existing presumption against the detention of those who are particularly vulnerable to harm in detention. It is part of the Government’s response to Stephen Shaw’s report on the welfare of vulnerable people in immigration detention. The Government intends to ask Mr Shaw to carry out a short review in 2017 to assess progress against the key recommendations of his report.

Home Office: Equal Pay

Jake Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans her Department has to publish information on the gender pay gap among its employees.

Sarah Newton: The Home Office has reported mean and median gender pay by gender to the Office for National Statistics who then publish data. The Home Office will meet the new legislative requirement to publish information on the gender pay gap by April 2018.

Offences against Children

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps police forces are taking to develop primary prevention strategies to reduce child maltreatment; and what discussions police forces have had with other services on how to develop those strategies.

Brandon Lewis: A. ‘Working together to safeguard children’ sets out the statutory duty for all agencies, including the police, to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. Police forces engage with relevant partners and services at a local level to fulfil this duty.On a national level, Chief Constable Simon Bailey, the National Policing lead for Child Protection and Abuse Investigation, has published a National Child Safeguarding Action Plan which sets out a comprehensive set of actions for the police to tackle all forms of child sexual abuse and neglect including child maltreatment. The action plan has a strong emphasis on the importance of working with partners to ensure early identification of child maltreatment; better data collection and information sharing; promotion of best practice and learning; and prevention of re-victimisation.Additionally the National Multi Agency Child Neglect Strategic Work Group, which includes senior representatives from the police, Department for Education, Public Health England, and Ministry of Justice, has published guidance to support practitioners, including the police, who come into contact with children at risk of maltreatment.

Scotland Office

Television: Scots Gaelic Language

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what steps are being taken to secure the future of Gaelic broadcasting; and what discussions he plans to have with the BBC in ensuring the new BBC Charter delivers additional new programme investment into Gaelic television.

David Mundell: Following the Government’s review of the BBC Royal Charter, for the first time the new Framework Agreement places a formal commitment on the BBC to support Gaelic language services and to support MG ALBA in its work. The BBC and MG ALBA are currently discussing how this commitment will be implemented during the lifetime of the next Charter.

HM Treasury

Charities: Finance

Martin Docherty-Hughes: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Autumn Statement 2016, paragraph 5.14, how much of the £102 million support for armed forces and emergency services charities and other related good causes has been allocated to (a) facilities based at Ministry of Defence sites, (b) charities and organisations affiliated to the Ministry of Defence and (c) official Ministry of Defence-run charities and events.

Mr David Gauke: 1. A full list of all Armed Forces and Emergency Services charities and other related good causes supported with funding committed at the Autumn Statement has been published at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/libor-funding-applications/use-of-banking-fines. 2. The breakdown as per the categories requested is as follows:Facilities based at Ministry of Defence sites – £3,465,824.Charities and organisations affiliated to the Ministry of Defence – £12,304,946.Official Ministry of Defence-run charities and events – £2,932,000.

Energy: Prices

Caroline Lucas: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to paragraph 3.22 in the Autumn Statement 2016, whether he will make an announcement on the future of the Levy Control Framework in (a) the Spring Budget 2017 or (b) the Autumn Budget 2017.

Mr David Gauke: The government is considering the future of the Levy Control Framework and will set this out at the Spring Budget 2017.

LIBOR: Fines

Jake Berry: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 12 December 2016 to Question 56592, on LIBOR: fines, how much the Government has collected in fines in each year since 2012; and how much of those fines has been provided to charities and related good causes in each year since 2012.

Mr David Gauke: 1. The following table outlines the LIBOR receipts and commitments to Armed Forces and Emergency Services Charities and other related good causes since 2012: Financial YearReceipts (£m)Commitments (£m)112/1330746213/1411914/153615/1651114516/17-3162Total973923 The figures above refer to grants committed, vice paid, as many grants are multi-year.This includes £200m committed by the former Prime Minister for Apprenticeships.

Concentrix

Ms Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect on women of decisions made by Concentrix to stop tax credits payments.

Jane Ellison: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) undertook all necessary impact assessments to ensure protected groups were not disproportionately affected when awarding the Concentrix contract. Although HMRC has not made a specific assessment of the effect on women of decisions made by Concentrix, as at April 2016 88% of single claims to tax credits were made by women and 88% of the single claims sent to Concentrix to check as part of the 2016 High Risk Renewals process were women.

Welfare Tax Credits

Ms Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many cases relating to tax credits have been referred to the Parliamentary Ombudsman in each of the last three years.

Jane Ellison: HM Revenue and Customs only holds information for the number of cases relating to tax credits that have been taken up by the Parliamentary Ombudsman not the total number referred. Calendar YearNumber2014342015302016 (to date)20

Public Transport: South Wales

Jessica Morden: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether any funding shortfall for the South Wales Metro resulting from the UK leaving the EU will be made up by the Government.

Mr David Gauke: The UK Government will guarantee funding for EU structural and investment projects in Wales, including European Regional Development projects, which are signed before we leave the EU. It will be for the Welsh Government to make an assessment of which projects should be pursued in areas of its competence within its Multiannual Financial Framework allocations in this period, and this guarantee will apply to any such projects.

Exports

Mr Peter Bone: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the effect changes in the value of sterling on export businesses since the referendum.

Simon Kirby: Her Majesty’s Government does not express a view on the level of exchange rates. The exchange rate is allowed to adjust flexibly in response to economic conditions and movements in sterling are determined by market forces. At the Autumn Statement, the Office for Budget Responsibility forecast that the depreciation of sterling between the beginning of June and the end of October will support exports and reduce imports in the short term, with net trade adding 0.3 percentage points to GDP growth in both 2017 and 2018.

Patient Capital Advisory Panel

Clive Lewis: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to paragraph 3.36 of the Autumn Statement 2016, what budget has been allocated to the advisory panel on Patient Capital; and whether members of that panel will receive a wage or expenses.

Mr David Gauke: The Government intends to provide further details about the Patient Capital Review announced by the Prime Minister on 21 November in the forthcoming Industrial Strategy Discussion Paper. The HM Treasury-led review will be supported by an advisory panel chaired by Sir Damon Buffini. The members of the advisory panel will not be remunerated. As such, no specific budget has been allocated by HM Treasury to the advisory panel.

Department for Exiting the European Union

Import Duties

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what recent assessment he has made of the potential effect of reverting to default World Trade Organisation tariffs on UK businesses; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Robin Walker: The Government wants to give UK companies the maximum freedom to trade with and operate in the Single Market – and let European businesses do the same here.The Department for Exiting the European Union, working with officials across government, continues to undertake wide-ranging data analysis looking at over 50 sectors as well as cross-cutting regulatory issues. The Department is also engaging widely with representatives from sectors. This work will inform the UK's position for the upcoming negotiations with our EU partners.

Exports: Transitional Arrangements

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what assessment the Government has made of the transitional support that would be required for exporting companies based in the UK for a future outside the (a) Single Market and (b) customs union.

Mr Robin Walker: We want to give British companies the maximum freedom to trade and operate in the single market – and let European businesses do the same here.We have been clear that we will pursue a solution that works for the unique circumstances of the UK. Ministers are considering the UK’s future customs and trading relations with the EU and work continues to analyse the options to ensure we have the best possible outcome for the UK.

Brexit

John Penrose: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, if he will respond to Early Day Motion 655, Triggering of Article 50.

Mr David Jones: We are committed to triggering Article 50 by the end of March next year.

EU Grants and Loans

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what his policy is on matching funding from the EU for community and farming purposes as part of the negotiations on the UK leaving the EU.

Mr David Jones: This Government understands our rural and agricultural communities' need for clarity and certainty, and has provided commitments to continue funding. On 13 August, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced that the UK Government would guarantee CAP Pillar 1 payments throughout the UK until 2020. On the 3rd October, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced that the UK Government would guarantee CAP Pillar 2 funding for rural development policies, including agri-environment schemes signed before the Autumn Statement and those signed after the Autumn Statement providing they are in line with strategic domestic priorities and are good value for money. Defra will be engaging widely on future policy options in due course.

Department for Exiting the European Union: Staff

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what proportion of policy making civil servants in his Department is based in London.

Mr Robin Walker: The Department now has over 300 staff with all posts being London based, plus the expertise of over 120 officials in Brussels from the UK Permanent Representation to the EU.DExEU Ministers have visited every region and nation of the UK, and we will continue to do so. We are travelling right across the country to ensure that all views are reflected in our analysis of the options, priorities and opportunities for the UK.

Department for Exiting the European Union: Legal Costs

Jenny Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what the hourly rate is for employing additional non-governmental legal support for the court case R (Miller) v the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, relating to Article 50.

Jenny Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, pursuant to the Answer of 24 November 2016 to Question 53514, on Brexit, what the cost to the public purse has been to date of the (a) Government's appeal to the Supreme Court on triggering Article 50 and (b) the court case R (Miller) v the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, relating to Article 50.

Mr Robin Walker: I refer the hon. Member to the answers given to Question 52878 on 17 November 2016, and Question 55997 on 12 December 2016.The court case R (Miller) v Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union is ongoing and, as the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union said in his statement to the House on 7 November 2016, all those figures will be published in due course.

Employment

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of the UK leaving the EU customs union on levels of employment.

Mr Robin Walker: As the Prime Minister has made clear, the Government is aiming to secure the best outcome for the UK as a whole. As I stated to the hon. Member in the debate on 2 November 2016, no decisions have yet been taken, but we are analysing the impacts of different scenarios in negotiations. That analysis is ongoing. We are determined to build a national consensus around our negotiating position and are listening and talking to as many organisations, companies and institutions as possible to do this. The Government wants to give UK companies the maximum freedom to trade with and operate in the Single Market – and let European businesses do the same here. The Department for Exiting the European Union, working with officials across government, continues to undertake wide-ranging data analysis looking at over 50 sectors as well as cross-cutting regulatory issues. The Department is also engaging widely with representatives from sectors. This work will inform the UK's position for the upcoming negotiations with our EU partners.

EU Internal Trade

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, whether it is his policy to retain preferential access to the EU single market by continuing to make financial contributions to the EU after the UK leaves the EU.

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, whether it is his policy to retain preferential access to the EU single market by continuing to make financial contributions to the EU after the UK leaves the EU.

Mr Robin Walker: We are focussed on securing the best possible deal for the United Kingdom as we leave the European Union. Once we have left, it will be for the United Kingdom to decide how taxpayers' money is spent. We will seek the best access to and ability to trade within the single market for all UK companies.

Department for International Trade

Trade Missions

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what the cost to the public purse was of government trade missions in each year sine 2009-10.

Mark Garnier: The cost of the Department for International Trade overseas trade missions for each year from 2009-10 to 2015-16 were published in UK Trade and Investment's Annual Report and Accounts. Copies of which can be found in the libraries of the House The Department will publish the cost of 2016-17 trade events and missions in its yearly Annual Report and Accounts, a copy of which will be placed in the libraries of the House in summer 2017.

Trade Agreements: Middle East

Mr Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, if he will make it his policy to prioritise a free trade agreement with (a) Israel and (b) the Palestinian Authority after the UK has left the EU.

Mark Garnier: Ministers and officials in the Department for International Trade are working closely with counterparts across a wide range of markets, in order to promote the UK as a great place to do business and with which to trade. We are taking advantage of all the opportunities available to us to ensure that Britain becomes the global leader in free trade once we leave the EU.

Department for International Trade: Staff

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what proportion of policy-making civil servants in his Department is based in London.

Greg Hands: All Trade Policy Group officials, except one, are based in London, as are the policy making officials in UK Export Finance. The rest of the department is primarily engaged in operational delivery.

Department for International Trade: Staff

Ms Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what proportion of the £26 million, referred to in paragraph 3.34 of the Autumn Statement 2016, to recruit additional policy staff to support international trade issues will be allocated to his Department.

Greg Hands: The 2016 Autumn Statement announced additional resources, for the Department for International Trade (DIT), of up to £7m in 16/17, £21.6m in 17/18, £23.3m in 18/19 and £23.6m in 19/20 to strengthen trade policy capability.

Trade Agreements: Human Rights

Margaret Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps he is taking to ensure that UK trade and investment agreements protect human rights.

Greg Hands: The UK has a strong history in protecting human rights. While we remain members of the EU, we will continue to support a trade liberalising agenda and the UK will participate constructively in EU decision making on trade issues, including on human rights requirements.The UK has long supported the promotion of our values globally and this will continue as we leave the EU.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Right to Buy Scheme: Southwark

Ms Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the extension of the Right to Buy scheme on the number of social homes available for rent in the London Borough of Southwark.

Gavin Barwell: The details of the extension of the Right to Buy scheme are still to be confirmed. The Government remains committed to the voluntary Right to Buy agreement reached with housing associations and the National Housing Federation, and the expanded regional pilot announced at Autumn Statement is evidence of that commitment. Under the voluntary agreement, housing associations will deliver an additional home through new supply nationally for every home sold. The scheme will be funded by the sale of higher value vacant council housing. In London, these will be replaced on a two-for-one basis, resulting in a net increase in affordable homes.

Wales Office

Wales Office: Christmas

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how much his Department has spent on Christmas functions for hon. Members and Ministers in each year since 2010.

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how much his Department plans to spend on Christmas functions for hon. Members and Ministers in 2016.

Guto Bebb: The Department has not spent anything on Christmas functions specifically for hon. Members and Ministers; however hon. Members and Ministers may have attended Wales Office stakeholder functions.

Wales Office: Christmas

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how much his Department spent on Christmas functions in each year since 2010.

Guto Bebb: There has been no spend on Christmas functions between 2012-15. The Department does not hold information for 2010 and 2011.

Wales Office: Christmas

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how much his Department plans to spend on Christmas functions in 2016.

Guto Bebb: The Department has set a budget of £300 for Christmas functions in 2016.

Department of Health

NHS: Migrant Workers

Dr Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what contingency planning his Department is undertaking on the recruitment of (a) EU and (b) non-EU health services staff prior to the UK's exit from the EU.

David Mowat: The Prime Minister has stated that the United Kingdom will begin the process of exiting the European Union by triggering Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union no later than the end of March 2017. Until exit negotiations are concluded, the UK remains a full member of the EU with all the rights and obligations that membership entails.The Prime Minister and the Secretary of State for Health have made it clear that they wish for EU citizens, including those working in the National Health Service in England, to remain in the UK once the UK has left the EU and that such a thing would only not be possible if British citizens’ rights in European member states were not protected in return. The Government is working hard to achieve that outcome.The Secretary of State for Health has paid tribute to the staff from the EU who are working in the NHS, recognising the crucial contribution they make. The Department is working on ensuring the best outcome for the health and social care system. All policy teams within the Department are involved with this work and assessing the implications, on their area, of the UK leaving the EU.

Community Hospitals

Dr Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what information (a) his Department and (b) NHS England holds on plans for community hospitals to relieve pressures on acute hospitals over the winter 2016 period.

Mr Philip Dunne: Community care providers are part of their local A&E Delivery Boards. These Boards have developed comprehensive plans to manage winter pressures across all sectors of their local health economies and ensure patient flow along the urgent care pathway is as smooth as possible.

Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that there is a care adviser to support adults in the neuromuscular service at Salford Royal NHS Trust.

David Mowat: National Health Service providers may employ neuromuscular care advisers where it benefits patients, such decisions are a local matter. NHS England is responsible for commissioning specialised neurological services, including services for patients with neuromuscular disorders. NHS England has published a service specification for neurological care that sets out what providers must have in place to offer evidence-based, safe and effective services. The specification can be found at:www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/d04-neurosci-spec-neuro.pdf

Royal Manchester Children's Hospital

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to increase specialist neuromuscular consultant support for children attending Royal Manchester Children's Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.

David Mowat: This is a matter for the National Health Service locally. The majority of paediatric neurology services are specialised and are based in Neurosciences Centres which have the necessary infrastructure in terms of diagnostic services and other specialities, including consultant expertise. NHS England is responsible for commissioning specialised neurological services, including some services for patients with neuromuscular disorders. NHS England has published two separate service specifications for neurological care, one for adults and one for children, that sets out what providers must have in place to offer evidence-based, safe and effective care for patients with neurological conditions, including neuromuscular disorders. Both service specifications for neurological care can be found at:www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/d04-neurosci-spec-neuro.pdf www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/e09-paedi-neurology.pdf

Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust: DeepMind

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what agreements have been reached between the Royal Free Hospital and Google's DeepMind on intellectual property matters in the implementation of the Streams app which shares patient data with third parties.

Nicola Blackwood: Some digital transformation is crucial if we are to get the best results for patients. This is an agreement between the individual trust and the partner organisation, and as such the Department does not hold the details of the agreement. However, arrangements local National Health Service organisations enter into with third parties to manage data on their behalf, whether for research or any other purposes, must comply with the Data Protection Act 1998.

Care Homes: Standards

Scott Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to require the Care Quality Commission to notify (a) hon. Members and (b) local councillors of ratings of inadequate or requires improvement in care homes.

David Mowat: The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator of health and adult social care in England. The CQC is responsible for assessing whether providers are meeting the fundamental standards of quality and safety including the decisions around the publication of its reports. The CQC has advised that it currently informs hon. Members when there has been an inadequate or outstanding rating given to a care home in their constituency. This is done as close as possible to the publication of the report. All inspection reports are available on the CQC website once they have been published and hon. Members can also sign-up to an automated CQC constituency email alert tool which will alert them to any new reports published in their constituency, irrespective of rating. Each week the CQC sends information on all inspection reports, and ratings, published the previous week to all English local authorities.

Neuromuscular Disorders

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make it his Department's policy to ensure that there is a care adviser to support adults in neuromuscular services at all NHS trusts that provide those services.

David Mowat: NHS England is responsible for commissioning specialised neurological services, including some services for patients with neuromuscular disorders. NHS England has published a service specification for neurological care that includes an exemplar service specification for neuromuscular conditions that sets out what providers must have in place to offer evidence-based, safe and effective services.The service specification for neurological care can be found at the following link:www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/d04-neurosci-spec-neuro.pdfNational Health Service providers, working with local area teams, may establish patient access to neuromuscular care advisers if they consider it would benefit service provision; such decisions are a local matter.

Capita

Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answers of 8 November 2016 to Questions 51400, 51421 and 51422, how his Department is measuring the performance of Capita in providing a more efficient administration of the National Dental Performers List.

David Mowat: Capita have provided NHS England with plans to recover the most important services, including the Medical, Dental and Optometry Performers Lists. NHS England is meeting with Capita on a weekly basis to oversee the delivery of these plans and to ensure the right improvements are in place to address the backlogs and delays. My hon. Friend, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Nicola Blackwood), will continue to work directly with Capita and NHS England to ensure that services are restored to an acceptable and sustainable standard.

Smoking

Bob Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of reasons why quit rates for smoking have declined in recent years; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make it his policy to promote a national awareness campaign on stop smoking services.

Bob Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of stop smoking services in England.

Nicola Blackwood: Smoking rates in England are now their lowest since records began. The Government’s aim is to increase the number of smokers who make effective quit attempts. The number of smokers in England attempting to quit has declined over the last decade but the proportion of these quitting successfully has increased. As a result, the percentage of all smokers quitting successfully each year has increased over the last five years. The best way to quit smoking is with a combination of behavioural support and pharmacotherapy. Specialist stop smoking services remain highly effective and cost effective and smokers who use them are up to four times as likely to quit successfully as if they try to quit unaided. Smokers who use English stop smoking services are up to four times as likely to quit successfully.1 Advice from a healthcare professional (HCP) is the most commonly cited external trigger for a quit attempt and therefore HCPs have a vital role to play. A new national Commissioning for Quality and Innovation indicator incentivises National Health Service trusts to identify smokers, provide advice and refer all those who are willing into specialist quitting support. Free online training, commissioned by Public Health England (PHE), is available for HCPs on delivering very brief advice on smoking. PHE continues to promote awareness of stop smoking services and encourage smokers to take up their expert support via its marketing activity including campaigns such as Stoptober. Note:[1] West, R. (2012) Stop smoking services: increased chances of quitting. NCSCT Briefing #8. London; National Centre for Smoking Cessation and Training

Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Medical Treatments

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent discussions he has had with clinical bodies on the use of electronic pulse treatment to reduce abdominal pain and mitigate against the other effects of Crohn's disease.

David Mowat: No discussions have taken place between Ministers and clinical bodies on the use of electronic pulse treatment to reduce abdominal pain and mitigate against the other effects of Crohn’s disease.

NHS: Drugs

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent discussions he has had with pharmaceutical companies on the price structuring of medicines they supply to the NHS.

Nicola Blackwood: Ministers regularly meet with stakeholders from the National Health Service and the Pharmaceutical industry where a range of issues are discussed. Details of external Ministerial meetings are published regularly:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ministerial-gifts-hospitality-travel-and-external-meetings-2016

Organs: Donors

Mr Khalid Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent estimate he has made of the difference between BME organ donations and the level of demand for such donations.

Mr Khalid Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department has taken to establish ways of encouraging BME organ donations.

Nicola Blackwood: As of 9 December 2016, there were 1,851 people from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) communities waiting for an organ transplant. This represents around 29% of the active transplant list. Around 5% of all deceased organ donors came from BAME communities. There are a number of specific initiatives to increase the number of organ donors from BAME communities. These include the National BAME Transplant Alliance to coordinate the work of BAME organisations working within these communities, a Peer Educator Project working with the Pakistani Muslim Community in Birmingham and the Bangladeshi community in Tower Hamlets and NHS Blood and Transplant has developed a behaviour change campaign strategy in support of the Taking Organ Transplantation to 2020: A UK Strategy. This includes increasing its education and engagement activities with BAME communities and a Faith Action Plan outlining action to work in partnership with faith leaders.

Nutrition: Health Education

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he plans to publish details of the linear programming model that informed the refreshing of the Eatwell Guide.

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 5 September 2016 to Question 43855, whether Public Health England plans to publish its report on the revision of the Eatwell Guide before the end of 2016.

Nicola Blackwood: Public Health England’s (PHE) report ‘From plate to Guide: What, why and how for the eatwell model’ was published on 9 December 2016. The report can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/575623/eatwell_guide_report.pdfPHE commissioned Oxford University to carry out the linear modelling for the Eatwell Guide to determine the changes to current food and drink intake needed to meet government dietary recommendations. An academic paper giving a more in-depth description of the mathematical modelling has been accepted for publication by the BMJ Open journal and is likely to be published shortly.

NHS Improvement

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the criteria are for NHS Improvement to intervene in the governance of  NHS trusts.

Mr Philip Dunne: NHS Improvement recently published its Single Oversight Framework which sets out how it supports, oversees and intervenes in National Health Service trusts. The framework can be found here:https://improvement.nhs.uk/resources/single-oversight-framework/

Smoking

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effect of recent reductions in funding for smoking cessation services on rates of smoking.

Nicola Blackwood: The most recent data show that smoking rates among adults and young people are at their lowest ever level. This has been achieved through the implementation of a comprehensive tobacco control strategy, one element of which is the provision of evidence-based stop smoking services. The Government is developing a new tobacco control plan, which will build on previous success and continue to support people to stop smoking. Councils will receive £16 billion of public health funding across this Parliament. Smoking rates vary considerably across the country and it is right that local councils have the flexibility to consider how best to respond to the unique needs of their local population.

General Practitioners

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to tackle inappropriate use of the GP appointment request process.

David Mowat: The Department recognises that missed or inappropriate appointments in general practices are a waste of National Health Service resources. General practices are responsible for managing their own appointments and they set criteria for different appointment slots. On 21 April 2016, NHS England published the GP Forward View, a package of support to help get general practice back on its feet, improve patient care and access, and invest in new ways of providing primary care. As part of this, there will be a major £30 million ‘Releasing Time for Patients’ development programme to help release capacity within general practice. The ‘Releasing Time for Patients’ plan will share high impact actions, including reducing missed appointments by redesigning the appointment system, encouraging patients to write appointment cards themselves, issuing appointment reminders by text message, and making it quick for patients to cancel or rearrange an appointment.

Housing

Mr Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on the (a) forthcoming Housing White Paper and (b) delivery of retirement housing across all tenures.

David Mowat: Discussions have taken place between officials at the two departments regarding the forthcoming White Paper, and the opportunities around ageing, health and care. I have also made more formal representations to the Department for Communities and Local Government. Hence, the dialogue is ongoing.

Medical Treatments

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of additional resources required for proposed changes in NICE's processes to consider highly specialised technologies to take place.

Nicola Blackwood: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has advised that it does not anticipate that additional resources will be required to implement the proposed changes to its highly specialised technologies programme.

Medical Treatments

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of how many treatments will be delivered under the new highly specialised technologies process to be introduced shortly by NICE.

Nicola Blackwood: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has advised that funding for its highly specialised technologies programme allows it to produce guidance for three topics per year.

Diseases

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many treatments for rare and ultra-rare diseases that have received orphan designation as part of their regulatory license from the European Medicines Agency have qualified for NICE's highly specialised technologies evaluation.

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many treatments for rare and ultra-rare diseases that have received orphan designation as part of their regulatory license from the European Medicines Agency have qualified for NICE's single technology appraisal.

Nicola Blackwood: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has advised that, of the 46 products that have received a European Medicines Agency Marketing Authorisation and orphan designation since 2013, 44 have been considered through its topic selection process. Of these, 20 have been selected for appraisal through NICE’s technology appraisal programme, six have been selected for evaluation through its highly specialised technologies programme, seven were eliminated as they did not fall within NICE’s remit and 11 were not prioritised for referral.

Dementia: Home Care Services

Mr Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what his Department's budget was for dementia training for homecare workers in each of the last three years.

Mr Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much his Department has spent on dementia training for homecare workers in each of the last three years.

David Mowat: Responsibility for ensuring that the homecare workforce have the necessary skills and training lies with their employers. The Care Certificate, which was introduced in April 2015, details the requirements for the initial training of healthcare assistants and social care support workers. The Care Quality Commission would ask for evidence of compliance with the Care Certificate, or equivalent, as part of their inspection regime The Department estimates that over 100,000 social care workers have already received dementia awareness training. The 2020 Dementia Challenge, published in February 2015, made clear that, by 2020, we expect social care providers to provide appropriate training on dementia to all relevant staff.

Social Services

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, which organisation is responsible for the inspection and regulation of social care services commissioned and delivered by local authorities; and if he will make a statement.

David Mowat: The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator of health and adult social care providers in England. All providers of regulated activities, including National Health Service and independent providers, have to register with CQC and follow a set of fundamental standards of safety and quality below which care should never fall.

NHS Property Services: Sussex

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what progress NHS Property Services is making on improvements to the NHS Estate across Crawley, Horhsam and Mid Sussex; and if he will make a statement.

Nicola Blackwood: Progress in relation to capital improvements and investment at Crawley Hospital, Horsham Hospital and Sidney West Primary Care Centre as provided by NHS Property Services (NHSPS) is as follows: Site: Crawley Hospital - Project 1: Sub-acute ward refurbishment Outstanding works: The sub-acute will be handed over on 29 December 2016. - Project 2: Transforming Urgent Care Refurbishment Outstanding works: The Urgent Care Centre, formerly the Urgent Treatment Centre, scheduled to complete in January 2017 and Paediatrics in February 2017. There will be a follow on phase to non-clinical areas (reception and entrance canopy) which will complete in March 2017. - Project 3: Infrastructure works including Theatre Air Handling Unit lifecycle replacement Outstanding works: Works have been designed, tendered and started on site in December 2016. The programme for phase 1 is estimated to be complete in May 2017. Site: Horsham Hospital - Project 1: New infrastructure and other works identified. Outstanding works: Urgent roof repair works and new gym windows will be completed by 29 December 2016. Further areas of high priority work have been surveyed and a funding proposal has been submitted for consideration. Site: Sidney West Primary Care Centre - Project 1: Improvement works, including diagnostics, x-ray and consulting rooms. Outstanding works: Design is continuing and once complete the costs will be refined and a revised delivery programme drawn up for clinical commissioning group and NHSPS approval.

Paramedics: Costs

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate his Department has made of the average cost to the NHS of employing a paramedic in each of the last five years.

Mr Philip Dunne: The following table shows the mean annual cost of employing ambulance paramedics, for the 12 month period July to June each year, 2011 to 2016.  Average cost of employment by yearJuly 2011 to June 2012£44,850July 2012 to June 2013£45,127July 2013 to June 2014£44,827July 2014 to June 2015£45,501July 2015 to June 2016£45,743 Source: NHS Digital, Provisional NHS Staff Earnings Estimates for earnings and unvalidated electronic staff record data for on costs Paramedics earn on average about 42% of basic pay in other earnings. These include premium pay rates for working unsocial hours, pay for working overtime and other additional hours, and geographic allowances for staff employed in and around London described as High Cost Area Supplements. On costs include employers pension contributions and employers national insurance and have been estimated at 20.5% of mean earnings.

Levodopa

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many patients have received levodopa-carbidopa intestinal gel under NHS England's clinical commissioning policy since July 2015.

David Mowat: 75 patients have accessed levodopa-carbidopa intestinal gel under NHS England's clinical commissioning policy since July 2015.

Health Services: Procurement

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether NHS England has developed commissioning policies for treatments procured through a commercial framework agreement.

David Mowat: The Department's Commercial Medicines Unit tenders for medicines framework agreements for use by National Health Service secondary care establishments in England including some where commissioning policies exist. These include: - Erythrocyte Stimulating Agents;- Granulocyte Colony Stimulating Factors;- Anti-retrovirals for HIV;- Hepatitis C treatments (covered by National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) Technology Appraisals (TAs));- Inhaled antibiotics for Cystic Fibrosis;- Anti-TNF drugs for various indications;- Immunoglobulins (covered currently by the National Immunoglobulin Guidelines);- Blood factor products; and- Drugs used for MS (covered by NICE TAs).

NHS: EU Nationals

Julie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will grant existing EU national NHS staff leave to remain in the UK after the UK's decision to leave the EU.

David Mowat: The Prime Minister and my Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health have made it clear that they wish for European Union citizens, including those working in health and social care, to remain in the United Kingdom once the UK has left the EU and that such a thing would only not be possible if British citizens’ rights in European member states were not protected in return. The Government is working hard to achieve that outcome.

Mental Health Services: Side Effects

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much the NHS has paid in compensation to people who received treatment that had an adverse effect for a mental health condition in each year since 2010.

Mr Philip Dunne: The data to answer this question is not collected by the Department. The data has been supplied by the National Health Service Litigation Authority (NHS LA). The table below shows the amount payments made on Clinical Negligence claims under the specialties of Psychiatry/Mental Health and Psychology 2010-11 to 2015-16 as at 30 November 2016. Payment YearDamages Paid2010-11£9,968,4692011-12£9,725,1592012-13£15,250,8642013-14£11,336,1502014-15£8,334,7862015-16£10,910,245Source: NHS LA December 2016 The figures in the table provided represent the amount of damages awarded, legal costs are not included. Payments made in any year given may relate to claims or incidents that occurred many years previously, especially where the claims may be complex.

Mental Health Services: Children and Young People

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 12 December 2016 to Question 56692, how the classifications of highly specialised services changed between 2014-15 and 2015-16.

David Mowat: In 2014/15 specialised services expenditure was classified firstly against highly specialised services and secondly the relevant programme of care (POC). In 2015/16 the analysis was classified primarily against the POC. For 2014/15 this resulted in higher reporting of highly specialised services and lower reporting of programme of care spend compared to 2015/16.

Ambulance Services: Standards

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the proportion of ambulance services in (a) England and (b) London that reached patients within their target times in each of the last 12 months.

Mr Philip Dunne: NHS England publishes the number of Category A Red One and Red Two calls responded to within eight minutes and the number of call-outs that receive a face to face response from the ambulance service. This data is published on a monthly basis at both an England national level and at individual ambulance trust level. Data up to October 2016, Ambulance System Indicators Time Series to October 2016 is available at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/ambulance-quality-indicators/ Ambulance services are facing unprecedented demand for their services. To address this, NHS England is exploring, as part of its Ambulance Response Programme, whether changes to the way that the ambulance service responds to calls could help improve response times to critically ill patients and improve outcomes for all patients who contact the ambulance service. As a result, the data published on ambulance performance is no longer consistent or available for all trusts.

Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure that there is a care advisor to support adults in neuromuscular services at Salford Royal NHS Trust.

David Mowat: National Health Service providers may employ neuromuscular care advisers where it benefits patients, such decisions are a local matter. NHS England is responsible for commissioning specialised neurological services, including services for patients with neuromuscular disorders. NHS England has published a service specification for neurological care that sets out what providers must have in place to offer evidence-based, safe and effective services. The specification can be found at:www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/d04-neurosci-spec-neuro.pdf

Hospital Beds: Children

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effect on delayed discharges from acute hospitals of NHS rules on children under the age of three who require bulky medical equipment accessing the mobility component of the disability living allowance.

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many children under the age of three who require bulky medical equipment were subject to delayed discharges from acute hospitals in England in 2015-16.

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the average length of stay in hospital was for children aged (a) between three and 16 and (b) under three who require bulky medical equipment in each of the last three years.

David Mowat: The Department has made no assessment of the effect on delayed discharges from acute hospitals in relation to children under the age of three who require bulky medical equipment accessing the mobility component of the disability living allowance. The Department for Work and Pensions is responsible for setting the criteria for the disability living allowance, including the mobility component. The Department of Health does not collect information on children under the age of three who require bulky medical equipment who were subject to delayed discharges from acute hospitals in England in 2015-16. The Department of Health does not collect information on the average length of stay in hospital was for children aged between three and 16 and under three who require bulky medical equipment in each of the last three years.

Royal Manchester Children's Hospital

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to increase specialist neuromuscular consultant support for children attending Royal Manchester Children's Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.

David Mowat: This is a matter for the National Health Service locally. The majority of paediatric neurology services are specialised and are based in Neurosciences Centres which have the necessary infrastructure in terms of diagnostic services and other specialities, including consultant expertise. NHS England is responsible for commissioning specialised neurological services, including some services for patients with neuromuscular disorders. NHS England has published two separate service specifications for neurological care, one for adults and one for children, that sets out what providers must have in place to offer evidence-based, safe and effective care for patients with neurological conditions, including neuromuscular disorders. Both service specifications for neurological care can be found at: www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/d04-neurosci-spec-neuro.pdf www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/e09-paedi-neurology.pdf

Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust

Jeff Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will take steps to ensure that a care advisor is provided to support adults in the neuromuscular service at Salford Royal NHS Trust.

David Mowat: National Health Service providers may employ neuromuscular care advisers where it benefits patients, such decisions are a local matter. NHS England is responsible for commissioning specialised neurological services, including services for patients with neuromuscular disorders. NHS England has published a service specification for neurological care that sets out what providers must have in place to offer evidence-based, safe and effective services. The specification can be found at:www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/d04-neurosci-spec-neuro.pdf

Royal Manchester Children's Hospital

Jeff Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will take steps to increase specialist neuromuscular consultant support for children attending Royal Manchester Children's Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.

David Mowat: This is a matter for the National Health Service locally. The majority of paediatric neurology services are specialised and are based in Neurosciences Centres which have the necessary infrastructure in terms of diagnostic services and other specialities, including consultant expertise. NHS England is responsible for commissioning specialised neurological services, including some services for patients with neuromuscular disorders. NHS England has published two separate service specifications for neurological care, one for adults and one for children, that sets out what providers must have in place to offer evidence-based, safe and effective care for patients with neurological conditions, including neuromuscular disorders. Both service specifications for neurological care can be found at:www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/d04-neurosci-spec-neuro.pdfwww.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/e09-paedi-neurology.pdf

Social Services: Minimum Wage

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 9 December 2016 to Question 56017, what comparative assessment he has made of care providers' compliance with the national minimum wage and the business failure of such providers.

David Mowat: The Department does not make comparative assessment of whether care providers are compliant with the national minimum wage and the business failure of such providers. Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs have responsibility for investigating and enforcing compliance with the national minimum wage and the national living wage.

Dementia: Prescription Drugs

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people with a primary diagnosis of dementia were prescribed antipsychotic medication in each year since 2010.

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people with a primary diagnosis of bipolar disorder were prescribed antipsychotic medication in each year since 2010.

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many prescriptions for antipsychotic medication by (a) drug and (b) dose have been dispensed in each year since 2010.

David Mowat: Information is not collected centrally on the number of people prescribed medicines or the medical condition being treated. Information is not available on the dose prescribed for the patient as they could have multiple daily administrations, more than once a day or more than one tablet at a time. Information is not collected centrally on the number of prescriptions issued. However, information is available on the number of prescription items dispensed. The number of prescription items written in the United Kingdom and dispensed in the community in England 2010-15, as classified by British National Formulary section 4.2 is shown in the table below. YearNumber of prescription items (000s)20108,883.120119,254.020129,546.520139,969.3201410,484.6201510,931.9 Source: Prescription Cost Analysis provided by NHS Digital.

Suicide

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 21 November 2016 to Question 52602, whether he plans to publish the third annual report on Preventing suicide in England: A cross-government outcomes strategy to save lives by 1 April 2017; and if he will make a statement.

Nicola Blackwood: The Third Annual Report of the Cross-Government Suicide Prevention Strategy will be published in due course. The Annual Report will strengthen the existing strategy, originally published in 2012, in five key areas.

Women and Equalities

Government Equalities Office: Staff

Paula Sherriff: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, how many civil servants worked in the Government Equalities Office in each of the last five years by grade; and how many at each grade were (a) women, (b) BAME and (c) disabled.

Caroline Dinenage: The Government Equalities Office (GEO) joined DfE in September 2015. We do not hold data to prior to this when GEO was part of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.The number of civil servants working in GEO is shown below. Ethnicity and disability status data are based on voluntary declaration of these characteristics. To protect personal information numbers are rounded to the nearest five and suppressed when fewer than five. End Nov-16Headcounta) womenb) BAMEc) disabledAll523555GradeBand D0   Band C2   Band B1710  Band A135  Band A (UPPER)1   EO3   HEO4   SEO2   GRADE 74   GRADE 62   SCS Band 13   SCS Band 21End Nov-15Headcounta) womenb) BAMEc) disabledAll604010 GradeBand D1   Band C5   Band B26205 Band A2115  Band A (UPPER)1   EO0   HEO1   SEO0   GRADE 70   GRADE 61   SCS Band 13   SCS Band 21

Surveys: Staff

Paula Sherriff: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, whether there is an annual survey of staff in the (a) Government Equalities Office and (b) Equality and Human Rights Commission.

Caroline Dinenage: The Government Equalities Office take part in the annual Civil Service People Survey within the Department for Education. The Department’s results for 2016 were published on GOV.UK on Tuesday 6 December.The Equality and Human Rights Commission is an independent body and is responsible for its own staff management, including conducting surveys of its staff. I have therefore asked the Chief Executive of the Commission to write to the Hon. Member with the information requested and will place a copy of the letter in the Libraries of both Houses.